Limitless
by The Mad Mystic
Summary: "You, who holds so much potential, are always limited. I want to see what you do when those limits are removed from the equation." And with those words, Zelretch altered a world. With those words, a Hero was born.
1. Chapter 1

To describe the idea of parallel worlds was to describe everything. Literally, as the acceptance of the idea of parallel worlds meant that everything was possible, just not in the same dimension. To many, it was enthralling to see how much could change with single, minuscule events. One atom out of place, and the world falls apart...

Truly, it was incredible, to be able to witness all these marvels. However, as with many of his alternates, or at least those who still existed independently of himself, Zelretch found himself bored of it all. Yes, he had seen many of the worlds, but he had never really intervened. Mostly because he could not be bothered to do so, and yet, he found himself longing for something. Something WORTH witnessing.

One would have to understand the innate curiosity that Zelretch possessed in order to even attain usage of the Second Magic. True, it was a magic beyond magic itself, but that was only part of his ability. It was his curiosity, his ability to look at a situation and question what if, that decided which Magic accepted him. This curiosity, strong as it was, brought him to search for something interesting.

That was how he found the small, seemingly innocent city of Fuyuki. Well, found would be an inaccurate term. He had been there before, helping to set up the silly Holy Grail War, and he had seen various parallel worlds of said wars. His favorite was definitely the fifth, with some of the more ridiculous versions of the fourth behind it. Part of his love for the fifth developed due to how much one man contributed to the differences between worlds. In one world, the man lived a happy life, living his dream until the end, falling in love with his servant. In another, the man learned how broken he truly was, saw the hell that his life would become if he pursued his dream, and went to do so anyway. In one of the darker versions of the war, the very same man cast aside his dream to save the woman he loved.

Yet each of them were truly fragmented. A better way to phrase it would be to say that they were all limited. The first was limited in terms of power, being the weakest amongst the three, yet the most skilled with a sword, having learned directly from King Arthur. The second was limited in terms of power, his magic circuits being weakened by disuse. He was also the most blatantly powerful in terms of magecraft, with absolute control over his reality marble by the end of the war. The final one was perhaps the most broken of all, essentially being a servant, a weaker one perhaps, but a servant nonetheless. The problem with the last one was that each time he used that power, his soul cracked, until it eventually gave out.

The differences between the three main worlds were so insignificant that Zelretch almost missed them, at first. The wrong word here, the wrong step there... In any other case, these slight differences would have resulted in almost nothing, yet whenever a World Difference encountered Shirou Emiya, the entire world changed.

Truly, if one wanted to see change incarnate, they need look no further than Shirou Emiya. Zelretch was bored, and Shirou Emiya proved interesting. Always overcoming the odds, even with his limits, just to fulfill simple goals...

Zelretch paused. There was that word again. Limit. Slowly, a grin began to form on his face, frightening the person he had been walking past. "Shirou Emiya... I have seen you at your weakest, overcoming the odds. Even with your limitations, you grew strong in a mere fortnight... I wonder what you would do without those same limits holding you down..."

Part of him believed the same things would happen, but another, much larger part, believed some things would change. After all, when dealing with someone that distorted, change was inevitable. With that thought, Zelretch knew where to begin.

* * *

It was only blind luck that got him this far, and even that was running out. As the world around him burned and withered, he could only be glad that he could only hear the screams, and not see the bodies. No, he was not blind. He was merely lucky enough to have walked towards a particular way which allowed for no visuals of the dying or dead. Part of him knew he should keep marching forward until he was safe, but another part, small as it was, yearned to help the ones crying out. After all, he had what others in this fire did not. Mobility.

Odd as it was, the boy was perceptive enough to notice people were slowing down before the fire, or even smoke, touched them, as if their very strength was getting sapped away by something. The boy did not understand what, or how, he only knew it was happening. Why it did not affect him was unknown. Perhaps it was and he had not noticed it, that blind luck having been more useful than he thought?

As he trudged on, he felt parts of himself falling away. Not physically, mind you, but mentally and spiritually. The first to go, oddly enough, was hatred. He did not understand it, hell, he did not even notice. What use was hatred to a boy of such an age?

Forward. Foward. Walking ever forward, the boy trembled. He could remember nothing now, not even his name. All he knew now was to walk forward, to escape this Hell. And yet, when he heard the sound of labored breathing, he paused. He turned, only to see a man trapped beneath some lumber. The lumber was placed in such a way that the man would be unable to escape and would die unless outside help arrived. For a single moment, the boy debated helping him.

* * *

To call what Kiritsugu's day had been bad would be an understatement equivalent to saying Enuma Elish was a light gust of wind. His lover died, his wife kidnapped, his wife dying, his greatest opponent in the war opposing him with multiple command seals, using them to counter his origin bullet, seeing into the Grail, experiencing All the World's Evil, getting cursed by said evil, losing his chance for his wish, betraying his servant once again, getting trapped under a piece of lumber on his way to try to save someone... no, today was hell. Quite literally, it was his own version of hell, being powerless and seeing all he loved taken from him. His family, his hopes, his dreams, one may claim his very soul was gone.

That was probably why he was not ashamed of being saved by a little boy moving the lumber off of him. True, the lumber was lightweight, but it was wedged under another piece, so that it was only movable from the top, which made Kiritsugu's position inescapable without help. If he had any pride left, if he ever had any to begin with, he might have cried at the fact that a boy less than a third his age had saved his life from a piece of fucking wood. Thankfully, he didnt.

"Thank you." He breathed outwards, feeling a strange sense of relief. Why would he be relieved at living further? With all his mistakes, all his failures? To live with them... was that not worse than death? Yet, his entire being rebelled at the thought of laying down and dying without doing anything. So, broken as he was, he stood up, taking the young boy's hand. Without another word, he began to guide the boy out of the fire. His research on the structure of Fuyuki helped him think of the shortest path out of Hell, odd as it was that he remembered it.

* * *

"There is nothing you can do?" Kiritsugu looked healthy, yet far more broken down than even directly after the fire. It had been a few weeks. Since then, he had adopted Shirou Emiya, named him, given him a home, and decided to get the boy checked out, to make sure the boy was fully healthy. The results were... not pretty.

As it turned out, because he had stayed so long inside the first, Shirou had inhaled more ash than was safe. This would normally have been solved rather easily, or killed him quickly, but because of the nature of the fire, it was different. Instead of asphyxiating like he should have, Shirou's lungs were cursed. To the doctors, it appeared as if he had the worst case of asthma possible. The fact that he had survived for so long without an inhaler was nothing short of amazing to them. To someone aware of the Moonlit world, like Kiritsugu, it was almost impossible to cure, even for specialized healers. It was not an overly powerful curse, unlike Kiritsugu's, it was a mild one at best, but the nature of it was corruptive and fed on magic to make itself even worse. That was probably why it had taken so long for Shirou to fully succumb to the curse. While Shirou had an astonishing twenty seven circuits, more than average, as well as an... odd crest, he never used magecraft.

Kiritsugu had revealed magecraft to Shirou immediately after adopting him, and Shirou had begged to learn. Kiritsugu was hesitant to do so, but promised Shirou that when Shirou was feeling better, he would teach him.

The doctor nodded solemnly. "Its not so simple to cure... whatever this is. His bronchial tubes are open and functioning, but his lungs are reacting like half the air he is breathing is smoke, rather than air. We put him on oxygen and it did not change. I have never seen a case like this. To be perfectly honest, the fact that he is alive even now is incredible."

Kiritsugu, his mind made up, nodded. Then he got to work. The only thing Shirou remembered of that day was a golden flash of light, as his father smiled at him. The Doctors and Nurses remembered nothing of either Shirou or Kiritsugu.

* * *

"So you want to be a hero, Shirou?" Kiritsugu looked towards the moon. It had always reminded him of his wife, and his daughter.

"Yeah! Of course! I want to be just like you!" Shirou looked... happy. And earnest. There were few ways to truly capture how a child looked towards their parent, when the relationship was filled with nothing but care for each other. They had, after all, saved each other's lives, even if Shirou did not remember what exactly Kiritsugu did.

Kiritsugu smiled. "Do you know what a hero is?" Shirou shook his head, knowing Kiritsugu would explain. "A hero strives to save everyone. Of course, saving everyone is impossible. Death is inevitable, after all, but... A real hero doesnt need to save their life, but to make their life worth living." Shirou did not know, but Kiritsugu was saying what he believed he should have done when he started upon his path. "A hero must strive to be the very best at everything he does, though he should not get angry when someone surpasses him. A hero will place the safety of another before himself, but... if you become a hero, Shirou, I want you to promise me to not forsake yourself or your friends. If you have to, in the moment where your loved ones are at stake... be selfish. Please, promise me." Kiritsugu knew better than to dissuade Shirou from his path, as he had inherited Kiritsugu's stubbornness.

Shirou frowned, attempting to look serious, but Kiritsugu thought he just looked adorable, trying to look so serious. "I promise." Hm. Even though he appeared adorable, he truly was being serious with that promise.

Kiritsugu's smile widened slightly, as his body relaxed. "That's good..."

* * *

Several years later, Kiritsugu passed away in happiness. Many mourned his death, including Shirou. On his grave, Shirou promised he would become the ideal hero that his father described.

* * *

Zelretch cackled happily. THIS! This was what he wanted! So much change by a few minor incidents, how extraordinary. "Now, Shirou Emiya, let us see how you do when the war comes into play!"

* * *

 **AN** : No this will not be based on the movie Limitless, no matter how good that movie was.

So... how much changed? Quite a bit, Id say. Try to figure it all out for yourself if you want, but everything should become apparent next chapter. Hopefully, it will be longer than this one...


	2. Chapter 2

I was going to update A Wish Gone Right before this, but the reception this received was quite inspiring... alright, onto reviews.

UltimateTouken: I agree with you, Shirou knew how bad Alaya would be, probably trying to be a hero on his own terms instead of killing everything in his path. Avalon would certainly help him there, if it does make him ageless.

Demontrous: What kind of powers? Ive quite a bit in mind, but I dont want to deviate too much from his origin. So... mostly swords. Or sword-based things.

Prince Serin Radcelon: Yes and no. No, he will not kill everything in one punch, no matter how hilarious it would be to see. Yes, he will train to be a hero to the extreme and reach inhuman levels, breaking the preconceived notion of human limits.

the DragonBard: To be honest, I had mostly wanted to stick with just UBW and reinforcement, but you make a good point. Already Ive got quite a bit of ideas thanks to you. As for the harem route... I want to, honestly, but Im not sure I can pull it off.

To the rest of you, thanks for reviewing.

* * *

 **Limitless**

Taiga was not sure what to expect when Shirou asked for help, but spending her afternoons beating him to near death with a practice sword was certainly not she had in mind. Of course, he had gotten better. Ridiculously so. She did not know Shirou's very soul was rooted in the idea of "sword", so she was nothing but surprised when he had managed to keep up with her for a good ten minutes. Considering she had fought fully trained adults who had not done as well, she was impressed. So she trained him harder.

Eventually, she had nothing left to teach him. Not because he got to her level, but because his style, instinctual as it was, was just too different from her own. It was no surprise. Shirou was just too different from her, both physically and mentally. Her own style was based on her quick reactions and perceptiveness. Shirou's seemed to be based on his instincts. More than that, just how comfortable Shirou was when he held a blade in his hands... Well, she was a prodigy when it came to Kendo, but Shirou seemed like he had been born for sword fighting in general.

"Alright thats enough for today." Taiga was panting slightly, a testament to how far Shirou had come. Shirou, however, was still young, and did not have the same endurance that Taiga had attained. Skill aside, Shirou was still a child, while Taiga had developed fully, and trained specifically to enhance her endurance. A common stereotype for women in sports was low stamina. Taiga desperately wanted to prove that stereotype wrong. She succeeded. In several of her championship fights, she managed to win by sheer endurance. Her strength and speed were nothing to sneeze at, mind you, but her endurance was inhuman. For Shirou to even come close to tiring her out was astonishing, for several reasons. For one, no one at the age of thirteen should be capable of anything near what Shirou accomplished. Any of it. Shirou was not stronger than Taiga, nor did his stamina rival hers, but his speed was something special. It was only experience and reach that kept her unharmed from the fight. His tendency to dual-wield did not help her, but she did not mind. She enjoyed the challenge, as did Shirou.

Shirou nodded. "Great. Tomorrow I start training with Kuzuki-sensei."

Taiga shook her head. As one of the most connected people in the city, thanks to her status as the daughter of a high ranking Yakuza member, she knew Kuzuki's background. One part of her was reluctant to let Shirou near the former assassin, while another part hoped Shirou could make the man feel at least a little human. In a way, she was not worried. Kuzuki was a calm individual, who did nothing without purpose. He would not harm Shirou, and yet... Well, it was the job of the elder sister to worry, wasnt it? Maybe they werent related by blood, but damn if she was anything but Shirou's older sister. Another part of her cursed Kiritsugu for telling Shirou to master all forms of combat before attempting to become a hero. She loved that man, but damn his paranoia had turned Shirou into a monster(in a fight).

She waved at Shirou as he walked off, amused at his actions. He already had a reputation for stopping muggings. She wondered how far it would get before he fulfilled his dream. He would need on hell of a push, and maybe a few helpers. She snorted. The chances of him finding people crazy enough to help him on his dream were about as possible as her father's belief that Kiritsugu was a 'magical assassin'. Still, the fact that he would try made her respect his stubborn personality.

* * *

Most people starting highschool tend to stick to one crowd or another. It was human nature, after all. It was why most only joined a single club, and made friends in that club. At least, that was the belief at Homurahara Academy. It held true since its founding. It was how it was supposed to be, or at least Shirokawa Takumi, the resident History teacher, believed.

Then this fucker showed up. Shirou Emiya.

If it wasnt bad enough that the kid broke all sorts of traditions by his unnatural appearance, he had the audacity to join three clubs. Most students joined only one, or two at most. Even Rin Tohsaka, an overachiever if there ever was one, only joined Track and Field, and Mythological Research. Shirou Emiya joined Kendo, Archery, and Cooking. If there was one consolation to his unnaturalness, it was that his presence nearly guaranteed the school's victory in any Archery or Kendo competitions. As per tradition, when a student joins a competitive club, they show off their skills in the club. Shirou did exactly that. His fight against the Kendo team was already legendary, less than a week into the year. Actually, to call it a fight was ludicrous at best, and insulting at worst. Shirokawa witnessed it, and was horrified. Not because Shirou was unnecessarily brutal. Not because the entire Kendo team could not take him down. No, his horrified reaction was because how a new student beating his elders broke tradition.

In Shirokawa's mind, nothing was more important than maintaining traditions passed down the line. Traditions were gifts from the previous generations, so breaking them was like pissing on their graves.

That was why he hated Shirou Emiya. It had nothing to do with the fact that Shirokawa was the sponsor for the Archery club, and had been utterly outdone by Shirou's attempt at archery. Ten shots. Ten Bulls-eyes. No, certainly not for that reason. If Shirokawa were to be completely honest, the most annoying part about Shirou was that whenever Shirokawa heard him speak, he heard the slightest sound of metal grinding. No one else seemed to hear it, but he did. He heard something similar with Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou. Oddly enough, Rin sounded hollow, while Sakura sounded... light. As if there was an echo to her voice, except it matched her own, leaving only the feeling of an echo, rather than an actual echo. He could never explain it right, not that he tried, since no one believed him.

That was why Shirokawa never called on any of the three, even if they were the only ones with their hands up in class. Those three felt off to him. Sakura may be a year younger, but she was just like the other two, he was sure of it. The only person who creeped him out more was Kuzuki, and that bastard creeped everyone out.

Except apparently Shirou Emiya, who, once again, was breaking tradition, by talking with the strangest and obviously most dangerous man at the school. The scary part was not Shirou once more breaking tradition. It was the sight of Kuzuki _smiling._ Small as it might be, the smile on Kuzuki's face was real. He was curious as to what they were talking about, but he respected their privacy enough to not eavesdrop. Though, if he just happened to be walking their way while they discussed whatever they were talking about... well, would it really be his fault?

As he passed them by, Shirokawa heard the most horrifying conversation he had ever had the displeasure of hearing.

"So you wish to train under me?" Kuzuki questioned, the smile he had held a moment ago already gone.

Shirou nodded eagerly. "I asked Fuji-nee if anyone knew someone who could teach me martial arts, and she mentioned you." Oh dear god this boy was genuinely trying to fulfill his blasphemous dream, wasnt he?

Kuzuki's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch, which was hardly noticeable given his eyes always appeared to be narrowed. "I see. Why is it you wish to learn?" If Shirokawa did not know him better, he might have thought that Kuzuki sounded curious, or cautious. It was hard to tell.

"I want to become a Hero, and a Hero must be the best at what he does." Shirou proclaimed, not a hint of arrogance in his voice. Shirokawa, however, did not notice the lack of arrogance, and presumed that Shirou believed he was indeed the best at everything. _'Childhood arrogance at its best.'_ Shirokawa scowled in thought. _'This is why children should be seen, not heard.'_

"From what I hear, you are already the best at Archery, and well on your way in Kendo. Why add Martial Arts to that?" Kuzuki's voice was as passive as his face, unfortunately. Shirokawa believed himself to be very skilled at reading people, but Kuzuki's true feelings eluded him.

Shirou frowned. "What if I get disarmed? I dont want to be weak." There was something in Shirou's voice that Shirokawa could not place, something firm and yet... fearful. He filed that thought away for later, walking ever so slowly towards his destination, his classroom.

Kuzuki stared at Shirou for a tense moment, before nodding. "Very well. Meet me after school, in the Gymnasium." Ah, an interesting choice. All after school clubs used their own areas to practice, so the gym would be empty after school, which would give Kuzuki and Shirou the privacy that Kuzuki no doubt wanted. Too bad Shirokawa heard them.

"Oh? Is there any chance I can join in, Kuzuki-sensei?" A voice spoke out, scaring the living hell out of Shirou and Shirokawa both. Although Shirou seemed much more relaxed about it, probably because he wasnt spying on anyone. They all recognized that voice though, Rin Tohsaka. Not even a week into school, she had already planted herself firmly into the spot of 'Untouchable Role Model'. Shirokawa liked her more than Shirou, at least, if only because she didnt trample all over tradition.

"Ah? Tohsaka-san, what would you want training for?" Shirou questioned, unaware just how rude it could sound.

Rin apparently did not like that, but was much more subtle, only using a condescending tone, rather than actually insulting the boy. "Well Emiya-kun, my current teacher is someone I dont particularly get along with, and I would much rather have a sensible teacher than _that_ man"

Shirokawa held no illusions about Rin Tohsaka. She was wearing a mask during school hours, almost undetectable. However, the fact that she had let her hatred of a person seep into her voice did not bode well. For someone so skilled in masking their true intentions and personality to slip up in such a manner meant whatever relationship she had with the man was not a good one. It sounded more like disgust than hate, though.

Kuzuki merely raised a brow, calmly glancing at the two kids before him, before his eyes darted to meet Shirokawa's. Shirokawa flinched, before resuming his walk. He had been busted. "I see no problem with that. Do you find this acceptable, Emiya-san?" Kuzuki respected the first come-first serve rule, apparently.

Shirou smiled, which Shirokawa found... disturbing for some reason. "Of course, that way we can spar as well."

For god knows what reason, Rin seemed embarrassed, or annoyed... probably both, if Shirokawa's reading of her real personality was correct. "What? You think youll be able to match me?" Nope, just annoyed.

"Of course not. You said youve been training, and Im just starting after all. I just meant that Ill probably be closer to your level than Kuzuki-sensei's." Shirou's smile did not falter, even though anyone else would have detected the annoyance and, in turn, been annoyed at it. Such a strange boy...

"Oh..." Okay, now she was embarrassed. She also apparently could not figure out what to say.

"Very well. Both of you meet me in the Gymnasium, thirty minutes after school ends." After the two children nodded their heads, Kuzuki walked off. For some reason, every move Kuzuki made, especially his freakishly even steps, made Shirokawa feel like he was about to die.

Shirou finally noticed him, and turned, the same disturbing smile as before on his face. "Hello Takumi-sensei, do you need something?"

Shirokawa was unsure why, but he felt even more unnerved by Shirou's stare and smile than Kuzuki's deathly presence. Not so much threatened as disturbed. Something about Shirou Emiya was inherently _wrong._ "No, I was just heading to my class. I suggest you two head to class as well. Fujimura-sensei will not be pleased with tardiness." Fujimura was one of the two classes the two kids shared, alongside his class. _'these crazy people at this school are going to be the death of me'_ He thought as he walked away.

* * *

Shirou blinked, noting how his teacher seemed to dislike him for some reason, but not paying it much heed. He turned back to Rin, smiling again. "So, if you dont mind me asking, what Martial Arts are you learning?"

Rin huffed, crossing her arms. "Its called Bajiquan, though its a rare style, mostly used by-"

"Executors... right?" Shirou looked excited for some reason. Rin had an idea why.

"Yes... does the term prana mean anything to you?" Rin narrowed her eyes, her arms falling to her side, ready to cast a memory altering spell at a moment's notice.

Shirou nodded, looking far happier than he should have at finding a rival magus. "Of course! Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one in this city. Dad never mentioned any others though..."

From the sound of it, Shirou was a magic user, rather than a magus. The difference was all in mentality. A magus was trained from birth to reach Akasha, or pass their knowledge on so a future generation could. A magus would have no qualms about killing someone for the sake of research. A magus would be competitive, which Shirou had shown to be, although a magus would be much more ruthless and jealous about it. Shirou seemed to just enjoy the challenge. Rin calmed herself, this was not a magus, this was someone who had been trained only in the usage of spells, not the culture or politics of the Association.

Rin nodded slowly, trying to calm herself from flinging curses at the boy. He wasnt trying to be rude, he was just ignorant of the culture. Understandable, but frustrating. "That explains why I always felt weird around you, like you were made of metal or something."

 _'My body is made of blades'_

Shirou blinked as the sentence appeared in his mind. Shaking his head, Shirou grinned. "Yeah, and that explains why you always smelled so weird."

Rin's eye twitched, and her smile turned malicious. Shirou shivered at seeing that smile. "What was that Emiya-kun?" Hey eyebrow twitched. Shirou tensed. "I dont think I heard you correctly." Shirou, betraying all sense of pride and heroics, ran for his life, an angry magus hot on his heels.

* * *

Kuzuki was honestly surprised at his student's decision. After meeting the two he would soon be training at the gym, Kuzuki had asked what styles they were going to focus on. Kuzuki would not teach them his Snake style. It felt wrong to, as it was a style made for assassins, not two children.

Rin had explained she wanted to master Bajiquan, a style somewhat familiar to the former assassin. He knew enough to help her deviate from the basics of the style and form her own branch of it, to fit her body type. Not that it would be her permanent body type, being only fourteen.

Shirou, though, had requested a style using primarily his legs. Any good martial artist knew that kicks were much more dangerous than punches, for both the user and the victim. A kick was generally easier to counter, and slower. This meant a style using primarily kicks would be very dangerous towards its user, though Shirou seemed completely fine with that.

Kuzuki nodded. "Very well then, an altered Muay Thai style would fit you best, I believe. I can help teach it to you, but in order for any training to work, both of you must keep in shape, as well as practice on your own time. We shall meet here once a week, every..." Kuzuki took a moment to think of what day it was, before staring back towards the two. "Thursday. Should any event prevent one of us from meeting, we must inform each other, preferably in my class, the day you learn of whatever event bars you from joining. Naturally, this shall include holidays and exams. Any questions?"

Both students shook their heads. Kuzuki nodded. "Very well, prepare yourselves." And with that, he charged them.

* * *

Shirou panted, utterly exhausted from the training, if it could be called that. Shirou was more an aesthetic learner than anything, so a hands-on approach was a very good way for him to learn. That being said, as wonderful as the training (Which pretty much involved him getting his ass kicked by Kuzuki) would be for him, he found himself far more annoyed than the first time he trained with Taiga. Perhaps because, while both Taiga and Kuzuki had a hands-on approach to training, Taiga knew how to **ho** **ld the fuck back.** Kuzuki did not. With Rin, that was a good thing, as she at least had some knowledge on how to defend herself, but Shirou's skills revolved around weaponry and housework, not hand to hand combat.

Unlike his training with swords, Shirou felt no instinctual movements when it came to hand to hand combat. His body did not know what to do, and neither did his mind. He may as well have been a guppy staring down a shark. A shark with a laser attached to its head. He was so utterly outclassed that it was almost funny. Were it not for his inability to give in, he would have been done with the training in mere moments, having been smacked down faster than Taiga could have ever pulled off with a sword. Even the first time she took him seriously, it took her time to beat him. With Kuzuki? He may as well have stood still.

Still, Shirou felt good. Not physically, as his body was trying its best to convince him that the floor was a perfect place to take a nice long nap, but mentally. He had found a weakness, albeit accidentally, and had taken steps to correct it. Now if only he could find a way to fix his weakness with magecraft... Oh. Duh. Shirou turned to Rin, who was in better shape than him, although just as tired, before asking. "Hey, you probably know more about magecraft than me, do you know anyone who would be willing to teach me? Kiritsugu taught me a bit, but he said I should find a better teacher." Most of his words were interrupted by his panting, but the question was understood.

Rin glared at him halfheartedly. "You dont just ask someone a question like that! Jeez did no one teach you anything? But..." Rin thought back to how Shirou had decimated the archery, kendo, and cooking clubs, before smiling, similar to a cat which had caught a canary. "I guess I can teach you, for a few favors"

Shirou, for all his combat prowess, was even worse at socializing than Rin, though he was also more comfortable with it, oddly enough. He did not recognize the evil tone in her voice, nor the look on her face, only being happy at having found a teacher. "Sure, what do you want?" He was also happy to help someone in need.

"We can talk at your house." Leaving no room for argument, not that Shirou would bother to argue, Rin began to walk... in the wrong direction.

"Eh, Rin. My house is this way." Rin paused, a panicked look on her face, as if she was scared of being caught being wrong at all.

Grumbling, Rin quickly followed Shirou. Quickly being relative, since both were far too tired to walk normally.

Kuzuki stared after the two, being too far away to hear the conversation they had. _'These kids are going to make things interesting, that is for sure.'_

* * *

Sakura Matou was not happy person. If someone had to describe her, it would usually end up with the word _hollow_ being mentioned. It was true. For years, she had experienced only pain and suffering, with no friends to help her.

Truly, her life was horrible. She wanted nothing more than to die, but she could not. For some reason, whatever part of her soul remained refused to give up her life. She had given everything else up, after all, why should she sacrifice her life? The last thing she had control over... She would not relinquish it.

Her grandfather was no doubt the most despicable man on the face of the earth, yet she could not hate him. She was disgusted with him, yes, and she wanted him to die, but the word hate would not apply. A hollow being could not summon the effort to reach such a strong emotion. Even the small part of her that remained refused to hate the man, for whatever reason. Even that part wished he would die, however. It would make her life so much easier.

Her brother was only somewhat better. Her feelings towards him could be summed up with two words. Disdain and pity. She felt nothing but disdain towards his actions, raping her and beating her, then going to school and acting like a prince. Yet, she felt quite a bit of pity for him as well. He had been raised to do it. It would be a lie to say it was not his fault, but in a way it wasnt entirely his fault, but his family's. She was just a tool to them, and he knew no better. Because of that, he treated her like a tool, and used her in whatever way he saw fit, whether it be to take pleasure, or to give pain. She had seen a lot of people, but none were quite as broken as Shinji Matou.

Her brother got what he wanted, though. He always had.

At least until Shirou Emiya showed up. For some reason or another, Shinji liked him, and he liked Shinji. Secretly, Sakura hoped Shirou snapped and carved her brother up like a turkey. The two got along well, though, regardless of Shinji's outright arrogant behavior.

At least until Shirou beat the ever loving shit out of Shinji. She never learned why, but since then, Shinji had been on his best behavior around her, and avoided Shirou like the plague. Shirou also got suspended for a week, although that had to do more with a certain teacher's dislike of him than actually fighting. Shinji apologized and had acted like a gentleman since then, and ever since, Sakura found herself drawn in to Shirou Emiya. There was only one problem.

Rin Tohsaka was the only other person who could call herself Shirou's friend. Sakura had only learned that after Shirou invited her to his house one day. While she was there, she learned four things. Shirou was undoubtedly a magus. Shirou was obsessed with being a hero, which she found utterly adorable, and inspiring. Rin Tohsaka was a frequent visitor at the Emiya house, apparently coming over for dinner every day, just as Taiga did. Finally, she learned that Shirou would have made the perfect housewife. She considered herself a good cook, considering Zouken did not eat, and thus had no need to cook, and Shinji was about as skilled at cooking as he was with magic. She idly recalled the one time he burned water. She still did not understand how that was physically possible, but it happened. In any case, Shirou's cooking made her own look like a novice's work. She, oddly enough, felt like she needed to improve, not knowing why.

She was nervous about it at first, meeting her sister again after so long. Yet, Rin seemed fine pretending they did not know each other. She felt conflicted, part of her saddened by her sister's apparent denial, and part of her glad that Rin was willing to even talk to such a corrupted creature. If there was one consolation, it was that Rin seemed just as nervous as her.

As the three students talked, however, both seemed to slowly relax, feeling more at home than either had in years. The Tohsaka home was empty, and the Matou home... the less said about it, the better. The Emiya house, however, was always alive, with Shirou and Taiga being the people they were. Rin's sarcastic nature apparently brought out Shirou's own snarking nature. Sakura found it all too amusing, letting out small giggles whenever the two verbally 'debated'. Thankfully, neither held heat in their words.

Taiga seemed suspicious at the two girls, thinking they would take advantage of Shirou's kindness, before relaxing as the three students settled into casual conversation. She had questioned how Shirou met the two, which led to an amusing tale about how Shirou had accidentally said something about Rin smelling weird, and getting chased around the school for it. Shirou mentioned that Sakura was part of the Archery team, the only person who had managed to hit a bulls-eye on the first day, and that he was friends with her brother.

For once in her life, Sakura felt joy. There was a light in the Emiya house that the Matou house never held, even before Shinji's father died. Whatever it was, it made the small part of her soul that remained grow, and she loved it.

Rin saw the look at Sakura's face and simply smiled, knowing that she had done well, and she would never let her sister know. She didnt need to know, and Shirou wouldnt say anything. He was honorable like that. Besides, he was getting what he wanted out of the deal, though something told her if she had just asked, without mentioning teaching him, Shirou would have done it anyway. In the few weeks they had known each other, he had shown he was a good person like that, always glad to help. He may be a little off, but there was no one Rin would rather be friends with at school. Well, that did not include her sister, but that was a given.

One of the things she found out in teaching Shirou was that he would never be a true magus. Not just in mindset, but in the way his spells worked. He could probably pass as a third rate one, if an oddly powerful one, but he would never be a true magus. His main three skills, being Projection, Reinforcement, and creating/breaking Bounded Fields, were common skills, and anything advanced seemed out of reach for him. She had her work cut out for her, but somehow... she didnt mind it so much. Maybe it was because Shirou was just that good of a person, or maybe it was what he did for Sakura. Maybe it was that she found the challenge of teaching him to be enjoyable, or maybe she just enjoyed teaching. Whatever it was, she was glad she had met Shirou Emiya on friendly terms. He may be a third rate magus, but he was, no doubt, a first rate fighter. Inexperienced and unskilled at hand to hand combat, but put a weapon in his hands, and Shirou turned into a warrior befitting legend... at least to her eyes. It did not help that his ability to 'cut' bounded fields was one of the most terrifying powers she had ever witnessed.

To start off, Shirou was an incarnation. This was both a good and bad thing. Incarnations were given a lesser Sealing Designation, usually. Not actively hunted, but not allowed to roam free once noticed. More than that, being an incarnation limited you to certain spells, while boosting said spells' power. That wouldnt be so bad, if Shirou did not have the most unusual origin and element she had ever heard of. She knew of her sister's 'Imaginary Numbers', which was honestly the most insane thing she had ever heard, yet it worked. Shirou, however, was obvious. And confusing.

Sword. That was his element and origin. Well, to be more specific, it was not just sword, it was more 'object used in melee combat'. Whether it be shield, sword, hammer, lance, spear, or even whip, Shirou's origin was all about melee items. If its purpose was to fight in melee combat with, his element/origin fit. It just happened to be linked towards swords the strongest. As it turned out, projecting swords took so little energy from Shirou it could be considered an insult to any formal magi, who trained to reduce the cost of any spell. That being said, whenever he projected something that was similar to a sword, but not quite a sword, it cost slightly more prana. Each step away from a sword required more and more prana. The costliest thing he could project while still costing much less than it should have, was a bow. Arrows were close enough to a sword, oddly enough, that they cost nearly nothing. Oddly, Shirou could project armor as well, although it cost exactly what it would have cost for Rin. That may sound normal, but Rin was a trained magus, who had studied for years. Granted, Shirou focused on his three skills to such an extent that even Rin felt a bit inadequate. Worse yet, Shirou's projections not only cost less, but they were far better than any she had made, or even heard of.

Her own projections tended to fade merely a minute after creation, and were generally not even half the strength of iron. Shirou's projections mimicked whatever they were meant to be, all the way to durability. They also tended to last at least ten minutes, and that was if he wasnt actively feeding the projection prana. To add to the mystery, Shirou revealed he was incredibly skilled with Structural Analysis. Most magi decided it was a generally useless skill, since they could not understand the nature of magic items by a simple glance. Shirou had trained it so much that he could. In fact, he was able to tell some of the history of whatever object he used it on.

With all this in mind, Rin spoke a few words to Shirou, in the most gleeful tone she had ever used. "Oh Shirou, you are so broken."

* * *

 **AN** : This chapter feels a bit like an info dump... sorry about that, but I needed to put most of this down to explain things down the road, to avoid confusion... well, as much confusion as I can.

Shirokawa Takumi is a normal human who is sensitive to magi, and is a hardcore traditionalist, who dislikes magi, though he does not know they are magi. He is also scared of Kuzuki, showing that he does, in fact, have a brain. He wont show up too much, he was just a way for me to show a different point of view at the time, as to avoid spoiling anything that would have been spoiled had I used Rin, Shirou, or Kuzuki, as the point of view.

Next chapter should start the Grail War, with a bit about what happened between Shirou befriending Sakura and Rin, and the Grail War.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN** : Holy hell, you guys know how to make someone inspired haha. Ill take the advice from one of my friends and update whichever fanfic I feel like at the time, so this one will be updated before the others, as Ive been in a Fate/Stay Night mood for a while. Anyway, theres only one review to really 'answer' this time around. Rather, there are a few reviews but all can be answered with the same... answer.

Yes, Shirou is going to be an incredible badass by the time the war hits. He will indeed be fighting on par with servants. While Shirou is going to be an 'unstoppable badass' he will be fighting several other 'unstoppable badasses'. As such, dont expect too much curbstomping... for those fights at least.

I know what several of you are thinking. 'Wont that make Shirou and his servant the ultimate team?' Good Question!

* * *

 _Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful._

* * *

This was why it was quite a surprise when one of the five banks in Fuyuki ended up getting robbed. Within moments of the event, police arrived on scene, only to be halted as the criminals had several hostages, including children. The situation was not too bad, but the criminals had yet to make any demands, other than a camera man shooting live footage to come inside, in exchange for five hostages. That was when the trouble started. On national TV, the man began to spout information about the Holy Grail War. The man was one of the few survivors of the Fuyuki Fire, recognized by many for that exact reason. Akira Kamatsubi, the former chief of security for the Museum of Natural History, which had been the epicenter of the Fuyuki Fire. He had been lucky enough to escape the Museum a mere ten minutes before the fire started, thanks to his wife suddenly going into labor.

In normal circumstances, the Magus Association would have wiped Fuyuki off the map for this event, the problem being that most Magi tended to stick to non-technological objects, meaning very few Magi knew what was going on, and fewer were capable of contacting the Association. The Church would have also intervened, if not for similar reasons. Oddly, the resident Catholic Priest of Fuyuki was absent.

The problem would escalate much further if not for three things. For one, the man knew so little about the Holy Grail War that what little he did say usually contradicted anything he said before or after. As for the second reason, the man was disheveled and in the heart of a bank, during a robbery, being the head of whatever group had taken the bank over. Finally, the camera woman was certainly not ordinary.

Rin Tohsaka was tempted to beat the men before her so that she could escape with the hostages, but Shirou had a plan, and she trusted him. Insane and wreckless as Shirou could be with his magic, he would never endanger her, or anyone but himself for that matter. Still, she was getting paranoid after hearing about the Grail War, especially as the man went into detail about just HOW deadly the last war had been. A child murderer, who she remembered quite well, a hotel bombing, which was rather surprising to say the least, until she remembered Shirou's father was Kiritsugu Emiya, who just so happened to arrive to Fuyuki during the start of the Grail War, and the fire itself, caused by... well, he described it as a sword, but honestly she doubted that.

As the man ranted, Rin mumbled, so low that no one could hear her. "Ten meters from the west side, one point eight meters tall, arms outstretched, thirty meters from the south side."

If she had to hazard a guess, the man had probably learned of all of this through videos of the events. It wasnt a well known fact, but in the past, the city had hired an independent contractor to place hidden cameras all over the city, in key areas. This was to help lower the crime rate, which had been bad at the time. The contractor passed away, and the Museum's owner, someone who 'donated' to the city council often, suggested Akira Kamatsubi to finish the job. Rin only knew due to her father complaining about it, and instructing her to be careful when using her magic, because of this. It wasnt an overly important conversation, but it was one she remembered due to it being one of the last memories of her father.

If she was right, this man had the knowledge of the entire Grail War, but he had kept it hidden until now. Why he did so was irrelevant at the moment, all that mattered was his elimination. It was hard to convince Shirou what had to be done, but she had managed. He understood how much damage would come if the man was not dealt with. It was only too bad that she had not known any of this beforehand. If she had, she would have made sure to get Shirou to turn the camera off, or at least make sure it wasnt live. Unfortunately, she did not any of this, only knowing she had the best chance of stopping the robbery from the inside. It wouldnt have been so bad, if she knew how to turn the damn thing off. She could break it, sure, but that would draw the man's attention, which was thankfully diverted from her enough for small communication with Shirou. How he managed to get these small 'bluetooths' as he called them, and used them like a phone, was beyond her, but then she never really cared too much for technology. Her reasons were different than most magi, but the end result was the same. She sucked at anything involving technology more advanced than a corded phone.

Whatever Shirou had done, he managed to make the headphone, small as it was, able to hear even her mumbles, allowing him to communicate with her and vice versa, all without drawing attention. As for WHY she was here, when Shirou was the person who would rather take the risks, well it was rather simple. She could not make the shot. Shirou could.

And he did. In an instant, a long metal arrow shot through the wall of the bank, almost as fast as a bullet. Rin only managed to track it due to her training with Shirou. The arrow slashed right through Akira's outstretched hands, severing both of them from his wrists, as well as destroying the camera. An ungodly scream flew from his throat. Rin did not feel horrified by the blood, knowing what she needed to do. Shooting forward with Reinforced speed, added to her own incredible speed, she launched herself at the first man, who was holding an assault rifle of some sort. The man's eyes widened, but he could make no further movement before Rin grabbed him by his upper arm and threw him at the next man, who also had an assault rifle. Rin wasnt too sure on gun laws, but she did not believe these were easy to come by, which was... worrying.

"Shit, Gorgoni, Alex!" One of the men shouted, raising his rifle to shoot at Rin. With the strength of the throw that Rin preformed, it was within reason to say that those men would never be getting up. If they did, they would not be fully functional once they did. Oddly, Rin found herself worried. The assault rifle did not worry her, it was the fact that the names of the men were NOT japanese. She wasnt even sure what language 'Gorgoni' could possibly be, but she suspected Italian.

Bullets flew towards her, and as trained as the man was, if she were anyone else, she would be dead. Thing was, Shirou was not the only paranoid or protective member of the group. Rin had decided to wear a bullet proof vest under her disguise, which Taiga had somehow gotten. What she got it for, however, would remain a mystery. By reinforcing the stopping power of the vest, as well as the cushioning effect, the bullets were little more than flea bites to her at the moment. The fact that the man was aiming for her chest was surprising. He obviously recognized the bulge that represented the bulletproof vest, so the fact that he shot there meant he was aiming more to stall her, or stun her. Granted, she wasnt sure whether or not the assault rifle could penetrate normal bulletproof vests, but she suspected the answer was no.

With a flash, she was on the man, grabbing the barrel of his rifle, before shunting the rifle back into the man's chest, easily knocking him over. In the next motion, she kicked his head at the temple, not only knocking the man out, but likely giving him a concussion. Amusingly, the last criminal of the group, which idly made Rin question how five people managed to pull off an almost successful bank robbery, was female, and apparently smart enough to give up, dropping her gun to the ground with her hands in the air. "I give up!" She looked frightened, almost like a rabbit staring at a snake. Rin found it oddly enticing... Oh well.

Shirou's voice buzzed over the headphone. "Mission accomplished?"

Rin rolled her eyes, stomping on the dropped assault rifle, snapping it in two with her reinforced strength. "Do you have to be so melodramatic?"

"Ill take that as a yes." Shirou chuckled lightly. "You know what to do next?"

Rin once more rolled her eyes, but couldnt help the smile on her face. "Of course I do. Who do you think you are talking to?"

"A primadonna" She heard him mumble.

"Y-you bastard, shut up!" She couldnt help but be embarrassed at that, if only because it was timed perfectly.

The only conscious criminal, Akira having long since passed out from blood loss and shock, stared at the girl in both fear and confusion. She may have had a gun, but this girl just took out three men with ease, and had just snapped her assault rifle in half by stomping on it. She was a criminal, not criminally insane.

"Oh right. Talk to you when Im done." Rin turned back to the girl, before sighing. She hated doing this to so many people, but at least she wasnt as drastic as the Association. They would have just killed everyone and moved on. With that in mind, Rin got to work.

* * *

A figure, who looked more like a ninja in black, with the strange addition of a cape, sighed from the top of a nearby building. That shot had been one of the hardest he had ever made, probably only having the target thanks to luck, but it had allowed Rin to do what she needed to. Shirou did not want to imagine the death toll that would have resulted if they had not taken action. It was partially why he agreed to let Rin alter the memories of everyone in the bank. Since Akira had taken the hostages and his crew towards the back of the bank, no one had seen what Rin did, except those inside the bank. Were it a normal bank robbery, Shirou could have dealt with it himself, and would have preferred to. He had stopped small robberies and muggings before, but a bank robbery was new... and worrying.

Contrary to popular belief, Shirou was not an idiot. Most of his idiotic actions could be explained by his odd personality. That was why he was worried about a five man group being capable of robbing a bank in the middle of the day, with at least two members who were not native to Japan. Their weaponry was also foreign, and powerful. Had Rin not reinforced her vest, she would have been shredded. Part of him was glad she demanded to go in, though. He could not have erased their memories. His version of memory alteration was hitting them hard on the head and trying to convince them it was all a dream. Sakura was better than him at that, but even she could only erase memories, not alter them.

Ah well. At least Rin and the hostages were safe. He was sure the police could interrogate the criminals to find out what organization they belonged to. He knew it wasnt the Yakuza, they preferred more subtle methods, and Fuyuki was generally a no-touch zone for any other japanese criminal group. Raiga made sure of that. His own activities played a small part, but not as much as Raiga. In a way, Raiga was more effective than the police. Having a Yakuza leader like Raiga reside in a city was a pretty good deterrent for criminals not aligned with said Yakuza. Shirou was not sure how influential Raiga was, only that he was powerful, and a Yakuza... and that his men needed a mechanic quite often. It was how Shirou learned most of what he knew regarding cars, or electronics in general.

He idly wished he had a better disguise than this decorated halloween costume. It was a left over from when Taiga forced him, as well as Rin and Sakura, into costumes for Halloween. He wasnt quite sure why, but Taiga loved the holiday, even though it wasnt really celebrated that much where they lived. Either way, it served enough to hide his face and body, which was all he need, but damn if it wasnt hot. Even Sakura admitted it looked silly, but he didnt really want a costume at all. If he had to pick, it would be something practical, probably magically enhanced. Silly as the costume was, it was necessary, as he could not exactly hide himself after shooting the bow. Even now, everyone's attention was on the roof, right at him. Several people who had been watching from the lower floors, through the windows, were running for the stairs to see who or what had shot it. No one recognized it as an arrow, thankfully, but he could not let anyone see his bow. For this to work, they had to believe he had used some sort of specialized sniper rifle. It sounded stupid, true, but people believed far worse. It helped that the sword/arrow he projected had already vanished.

All he had to do now was hide, which was surprisingly easy. He merely ran towards the center of the roof, where no one could see him, before ripping off his disguise, conjuring an arrow to shoot the costume away, before dispelling the bow and hiding behind the back of the door. A few seconds later, a flood of people arrived, allowing him to slip in easily, with their distracted states. They were staring in the direction he had shot the costume, seeing the black costume moving at high speeds towards the direction opposite to where he had hidden. With hilarious ease, he slipped through the crowd and headed to the elevator, glad to be out of the overly warm costume. Taiga might be mad that he lost it, but he imagined Sakura and Rin would be pleased. If he were honest, he was as well.

Once on the bottom floor, Shirou had to navigate through another crowd, still eager to see the figure at the top, who was no longer there. With unnatural grace, he managed to once more slip past the crowd, using his large stature to his advantage. For one reason or another, his height managed to reach 176 cm, a height rather rare in Japan. He was the tallest person at his school, which only added to his odd looks. His hair had slowly started going white a year ago, which wouldnt have been too bad, except it was not in portions. Rather, random strands of his hair were white, while the majority was red. If his hair had been divided between the two colors based on location, he could use the excuse of dying his hair, or having accidentally bleached it, but no, it had to come in single-strands. His skin was also tan, which made him look even stranger, when compared to the average citizen of Fuyuki. It did not help that his constant training gave him the exact type of musculature one would expect from a skilled warrior.

At a mere sixteen years old, Shirou Emiya had become quite known in Fuyuki for his helpful nature, and his odd appearance. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursing the heat as he went towards his house, trusting Rin would already be there, knowing her.

* * *

Indeed, she was already there, and she was facing a far more terrifying being than simple bank robbers. She was facing an angry Taiga Fujimura. She wasnt too sure why Taiga was angry, but the way she told Rin to sit, as well was the glare she was giving her, made Rin absolutely sure that she was going to receive quite the tongue lashing. If Taiga's expression was anything to go by, Rin had an inkling as to why she was angry.

When Shirou entered the house, and Taiga's glare turned towards him, Rin's fears were proven correct. Somehow, Taiga found out what they had done.

"Sit" Taiga growled. Shirou's eyes widened, and he obeyed. Taiga took a few deep breaths, unnerving the two. "What the HELL do you two think you were doing?!" Her voice came out more as a growl than anything. Both Rin and Shirou flinched.

In the three years since they met, Rin and Sakura had come to look at Taiga as an older sister/mother figure, due to both of them lacking one. Rin may be a year older than Sakura, but she was hardly more mature, not that anyone would ever say it to either's face. Shirou had always seen Taiga as an older sister, however. Seeing the person you considered an elder sibling utterly pissed at you was... scary. Not in a normal way, mind you, but it made you feel ashamed.

"We had to do something, or that gu-" Shirou tried to explain.

"I dont want to hear it." Taiga's icy glare targeted Shirou directly. "You two have no idea how worried I was, or how dangerous what you did was. I dont know how, and if anything that man said is true, I dont want to know. I have half a mind to ground both of you. I would, too, if... I were also proud of you."

Shirou and Rin glanced at each other, shocked.

Taiga sighed. "I should be angry, and I kinda am, but what you two did, while it was reckless and idiotic, it was also the most heroic thing Ive seen in a while. Just... tell me this. How bad would it have turned out if you had not done so?" By now, it was safe to say Taiga was aware the two were hiding something dangerous from her. Being from a Yakuza family, Taiga understood how dangerous some things could be, and did not want to know what exactly it was, so long as the two were safe.

Shirou shared another glanced with Rin, before Rin explained. "Fuyuki would have been wiped off the map."

Taiga paled, her breathing becoming shallow. "I see." She looked as if she had swallowed a lemon while learning of a relative's passing. "I guess I cant punish you two then... but." She paused. "any more of this insanity, I want you to tell me, and wear better disguises next time. Anyone with half a brain would have recognized you, Rin. Shirou, that costume wouldnt work for anything like this, especially since you no longer have it."

Shirou blinked. "You... are taking this rather well."

Taiga snorted. "Im barely holding off a heart attack here." She sighed. "But yeah, I had a feeling that joke about Kiritsugu being a magical assassin wasnt a joke, especially with the recent happenings... But Im the daughter of a powerful Yakuza. If anyone knows about how dangerous some secrets can be, it would be me. Besides, we all know I cant really stop you." She wasnt just referring to magic here. It had been almost a year since Shirou had surpassed Taiga at swordsmanship, and Rin was as dangerous in hand to hand combat as Shirou was with a sword. Physically, the two could tear her apart without struggle. Adding magic to that... well, it wouldnt be a fight.

Not that it would ever come to that. All three knew they would never fight each other on that level. In a way, this was Taiga's way of giving permission. She wouldnt be direct about it, but this was definitely her way of saying "I dont like it, but I wont stop you". A lot of people imagined Taiga as a lovable idiot. Rin, Shirou, and Sakura knew different. She was shrewd, intelligent, and a goofball. She acted like she did because she loved doing so, and she could get away with it.

Shirou let a small smile come onto his face, before he and Rin said, as one, "Thank you, Fuji-nee".

Despite herself, Taiga smiled. Rin had never called her that before, and to hear it from her made Taiga's heart swell. "Now, how about dinner?"

* * *

"So, did the captain rope you into cleaning again, Emiya?" Shinji spoke. It was generally rude to not use honorifics, but that was Shinji for you. Even though Shirou scared the absolute piss out of him, they remained friends of a sort. Partially due to Shinji's fear, and partially due to Shirou's forgiving nature. Sakura never told Rin or Shirou just how bad Shinji had been.

"Tohsaka-san owed her a favor, and I owed Tohsaka-san a favor" Which was more his way of saying Rin had convinced him to help out the only person in school she could consider her friend, aside from himself and Sakura. He didnt mind, really, she couldve just asked, but it had something to do with pride, he guessed.

"Ah, thats too bad. Well, I guess Ill see you on monday then."

Shirou nodded. "See you later." Shinji waved as he walked off, leaving Shirou to clean the Archery Club Room. Not a big deal, but it would be time consuming. Good thing Rin had told Sakura and Taiga he would be late tonight. She would too, for some reason, but she hadnt bothered to explain.

Two hours later, Shirou was finally finished. It was dark by then, so he decided to walk the safer way home, which meant crossing the field used for soccer, and going through the woods. Most would be worried about going through the woods in the dark, but Shirou had keen eyes, and was physically the strongest person in Fuyuki, without reinforcement. With it... well, there were some things better left unsaid. Anyone stupid enough to try ambushing him in the woods would have to either be a Dead Apostle, or a seriously powerful magus.

As Shirou walked out of the club room, he heard the familiar sound of clashing steel. Curious, and a bit worried, Shirou ran out towards the field, where the noise was coming from.

What he saw, he was... actually rather prepared for. A man in blue, with a demonic looking red spear, which his instinctual Structural Analysis revealed was named "Gae Bolg", used by an Irish hero with a name Shirou could never hope to pronounce or spell, clashing blades with a woman in blue, white, and steel armor. Shirou paused for a mere moment, as he felt an odd connection with the woman. Shoving that though aside, Shirou realized he could not see her sword. It was quite literally invisible, which meant his skill with Structural Analysis was worth precisely jack shit.

"Shirou?!" He heard an all too familiar voice call out, the two warriors stopping to glance in his direction. The blue man immediately broke off from the fight, charging directly at Shirou.

If Shirou were a normal person, he would have seen nothing but a blur. If he were normal, he would have been frightened by the two warriors. If he were normal, he would not have run right at the blue man, suddenly creating a claymore in each hand. Shirou Emiya was not a normal person. So he did.

Apparently, the blue man had not been expecting that, as his eyes widened and he adjusted his spear to the perfect thrusting position, something Shirou noted required quite a bit of skill to pull off at such speed. Once the man got within range, Shirou kicked his foot forward, pushing up dust, right into the man's eyes. In the same motion, he leaned forward, slamming down both of his oversized blades, hopefully severing the man's arms.

Whoever he was, he was definitely not normal. That much became obviously as he blocked the two strikes simultaneously, with a spear, while blinded. The fact that the spear did not break from the strength Shirou's strikes produced was nothing short of amazing. Instead of the spear breaking, the two swords Shirou projected broke, being replicas of a mundane weapon. Said mundane weapon had quite a history, mind you, but it was still, in the end, a mundane weapon.

Not that that stopped Shirou from summoning them again, striking down with his right arm, forcing the blue man down. It became obvious that while his speed was inferior to the blue man, his strength was certainly not, although that might be because of his reinforcement. Shirou, speaking far too calmly for someone in his situation, questioned "So why are you attacking me?"

His spear still pressing against Shirou's right claymore, the blue man answered. "Because my Master is a fucking idiot." He said nothing further, before pushing towards Shirou, which only succeeded in making the man push himself back. That seemed to be the man's goal, though, as he immediately fled the area at speeds Shirou could not hope to match. Too bad, he might have enjoyed that fight.

Turning back towards the other warrior, Shirou blinked once. "So... are you going to attack me as well?"

The blonde woman shook her head, keeping a wary eye on him. "My master has given me no such order." Her response was curt, and her accent was British. Interesting.

"Master? What the hell is going on..." Shirou turned his attention to the figure behind the blonde woman. "Tohsaka-san?"

Rin shook her head, mumbling something about idiots and servants. "Ill explain when we get home, itll be easier that way."

Shirou sighed, annoyed at his ignorance of the situation. "I guess you are her" Shirou gestured towards the blonde woman "master?"

Rin nodded, feeling oddly exhausted. "Yes, but just call her Saber for now."

"Nice to meet you" Shirou smiled towards the newly named Saber.

"A pleasure" Saber nodded in greeting. Maybe it was the curt response, or the wary stare. Maybe it was the fact that her voice seemed distant, or maybe the sword in her hands, but something told Shirou this woman did not trust him much.

"Well, lets get going. Im sure they are waiting for us." He was referring to Sakura and Taiga. Generally, the small group never started supper without all of them there, mostly as tradition, and partly because it was usually Shirou who was late, and even though Sakura's cooking could now match his, she did not feel entirely comfortable using his kitchen without him there.

Rin eyed Shirou warily. "You are taking this rather well..."

Shirou shrugged. "Im exhausted, to be honest, and you said you would explain when we get home. I can wait that long for an explanation."

Rin huffed. "Thats just like you, wandering into a dangerous situation and not caring that you dont know about it."

Shirou smiled back at her, pausing in his steps. "Thats because I trust you, of course."

Rin flushed, and looked away. "That idiotic behavior is going to be the death of you one day."

Shirou shrugged. "If I ever get in over my head, I know you and Sakura will be there to pull me out. You always have, after all." It was true. In the weeks since the bank incident, Shirou had dealt with a few less natural threats, two of which ended up with him nearly hospitalized. He probably would have been, had Sakura not healed him, and had Rin not pulled him out of that specialized Bounded Field Trap. They never did catch who placed it, but Rin described it as a butchery of magecraft, combining properties of a Dead Apostle with a Bounded Field, draining the life force of those who entered. If Shirou had noticed it, he could have easily escaped, but whoever placed it used runic seals, hidden underneath concrete, to make the field, making it not only hidden, but rather complex. If Rin had not been with Shirou at the time, he would have died. Well, he probably could have pulled himself out of there in time, but he would have been weakened greatly.

Rin looked down, her face filled with worry. "Maybe, but I think we would both feel better if we didnt have to."

Shirou frowned. This was a point of discussion they had for a while now, ever since the Bounded Field drained him. Sakura, and Rin were worried about his dream killing him one day, but he wouldnt hear it. He told them he would be more careful, but he could not give up. Sakura backed down, but Rin brought it up every once in a while. "You know I ca-"

Rin interrupted him. "I know you wont give up your dream, but I wish you would at least bring me or Sakura with you more often. We are pretty much the only people we have. Sakura doesnt have any friends other than you or I, and if either of you two died, I dont know what Id do."

Shirou smiled, a small relieved smile. "Rin, if you wanted to join me, all you had to do was ask."

Rin huffed again. "Thats not what I meant, idiot!"

Saber watched the two, relaxing slightly, seeing as her master was friends with the one who could match Lancer. What a scary boy...

* * *

"Rin! Shirou! And... you brought a guest." Taiga blinked as she answered the door to the Emiya house. She was dressed in her usual kendo outfit, though no one was quite sure why.

Rin was about to speak up, when Shirou, oddly enough, interrupted her. "Yes, it turns out she is a relative of Tohsaka-san. She arrived on short notice, so she will be staying with her."

Rin nodded, surprised at how Shirou took control of the conversation. Something was odd with him today... "Yes, Im sorry, but she didnt get a chance to eat anything on the way. Is it alright if she eats with us tonight?"

Taiga shrugged. "I guess. Shirou seems fine with it, and he knows how much food we have, I dont." Another funny thing about Taiga. She had learned that Shirou was responsible enough to earn his own money, buy his own groceries and supplies, and generally live on his own without trouble, and gave it no extra thought. To her, that was just Shirou for you... which was pretty true, considering he dislike relying on anyone else, although Rin and Sakura seemed to be excluded from that, as of late. Sakura had been cooking more, and Rin had been helping Shirou and Sakura both with school work.

Most adults would have been suspicious and worried. Taiga trusted Shirou, though. She trusted Sakura and Rin, but not as much as Shirou. Probably because she had seen Shirou, as a child, act more responsibly than most adults.

Within a few minutes, the group sat at the table, minus Sakura and Shirou, who were both in the kitchen, preparing the meal. The kitchen was rather small to hold two people, but they seemed used to it, Saber noted.

"So you all live here together?" Saber questioned, not liking the idea of so many bystanders being close to her master. Each one was a potential hostage. Kiritsugu had taught her that.

"Well, not really. Only Shirou truly lives here. Sakura lives at the Matou residence, while Rin here lives at the Tohsaka house. I live just down the road, but since Im officially Shirou's guardian, I check up on him. Sometimes we might stay the night, but thats not all the time." Taiga explained.

Saber nodded. That was good, less of a chance for these three to be capture and used against her master.

"Actually, Im going to have to live here for a week or two, my home is undergoing renovations." Rin interrupted, shocking everyone present.

Taiga grinned like a cat, before questioning Rin. "Oh? Are you sure thats your reason?"

Rin blinked, confused at the question. "What other reason could there be?"

Taiga's grin widened, and Saber was reminded of when Merlin got playful. Granted, Merlin was worse, no doubt. Rin did not like the grin on Taiga's face, and glanced at her nervously. "Why, I have to wonder if you arent just using that as an excuse to get some alone time with Shirou~" The aforementioned boy began to cough/choke in the kitchen. Rin's reaction was no less amusing to the prowling tiger.

"D-dont say things like that, acting like it could happen." Rin looked away from Taiga, a blush on her face.

Taiga's grin faded, before she spoke under her breath, so Shirou and Sakura would not hear. "Ive seen the way you look at him. Sakura is the same way. If thats whats making you hesitate, I guess I can understand." Oh, did she ever. She remembered quite well her crush on Kiritsugu, and how he told her of his deceased wife... And some woman named Maiya, who his wife knew about, and approved of, oddly enough. She wasnt quite sure how that worked out, but Kiritsugu seemed glad to get it off his chest.

Saber glanced between her master and the woman, who was indeed just as insane as Merlin. Finally, she decided to save her Master from having to answer the woman. "Ah, I just realized I had not introduced myself. My name is Saber, pleased to meet you."

Taiga grinned once more. "My name is Taiga Fujimura, I believe you already know Shirou and Rin, so the girl in the kitchen is Sakura Matou." A strange look crossed her face. "Saber, eh... any chance you are good with one?"

"I prefer longswords, but I am of adequate skill, yes." She was being modest, but her skill with sabers was nothing compared to her skill with swords similar to Excalibur or Caliburn. Each different type of sword needed a different way of fighting, so it was difficult for her to use anything but her precious Excalibur, or at least something modeled after it. That being said, being skill with one sword made it easier to use other swords, even with the differences in shape/size. It was because of the simplicities, such as how to maximize the reach of a sword without overreaching, or how to move from one swing to another in a fluid motion. Things like that could carry across sword types, so long as the user was competent enough to realize the differences.

Taiga stood up suddenly. "How about a spar in the dojo while we wait for dinner?" She seemed excited and eager, if the shit-eating grin on her face was anything to go by.

Rin groaned, before explaining to Saber. "Ever since Shirou started winning against her, she has been training like crazy. Shes always eager to test her skills out now, but she still hasnt beat him since."

Saber could believe it, if his brief fight with Lancer was to be considered. For a human of the current era to match a servant was supposed to be impossible. Then again, her own existence was supposed to be impossible, so maybe she should be more open minded when considering magecraft. "I could do for some exercise. My last opponent ran away, sadly." From the corner of her eye, she saw Shirou flinch. Ah, he must be a bit upset with himself for either letting Lancer get away, or interrupting a duel. Possibly a mix of the two.

"Ah! Senpai, you are bleeding." She heard in the background.

"Dont worry about it, its a small cut." The sound of metal bouncing on metal was heard, Shirou no doubt having placed the knife that cut him into the sink.

Taiga led Saber to the dojo, while Rin turned towards the TV. Taiga loved to have it one while they ate, probably because they didnt speak much when they ate, so the noise was comforting. Idly, she noted they were covering some town in america, about some scientific masterpiece. She tuned it out, and focused her thoughts on how to explain the Holy Grail War to Shirou and Sakura.

Then again, Sakura probably already knew. She, at least, lived in a magus family, even if they werent really a 'family'. She did not know much about the Matou family, but she knew they were magi, and they helped make the Holy Grail War... somehow. She was unsure what they did, but they were apparently just as important as her own family when it came to the formation of the Grail War. So Sakura probably knew, she could probably help explain it to Shirou, too.

She was interrupted from her thoughts as she felt Shirou sit beside her, with Sakura sitting on his opposite side. Usually they wouldnt leave the kitchen until the food was done, but sometimes the food they made would take a while to simmer, heat up, or cool down, so they sat and spoke. It was rare, but not unheard of, considering the variety of the meals they made.

"We have maybe five minutes." She believed him. Shirou probably already knew how the duel between Saber and Taiga would go, down to the time of victory. His affinity for swords was sometimes just freakish. "So what is going on?" He sounded worried. About her, at that. She let a small smile form on her face at that thought, but shook her head.

"The Holy Grail War." Rin and Sakura answered at the same time, before glancing at each other for a moment.

"Ah... that was what that Akira guy was ranting about right? I dont remember much about it honestly." Shirou scratched his head.

"Basically, seven magi are selected to summon seven servants. These servants are beyond human in terms of skill, and physical abilities. They are all from the throne of heroes, classified by class. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Berserker, Caster, and Assassin. Its pretty much a free for all from that, with the last man standing getting to wish from the Holy Grail." Rin explained.

"Im guessing we arent talking about the Christian Cup?" Shirou sighed, already knowing the answer. "Great. Why didnt either of you tell me this before?"

Rin frowned. "It wasnt supposed to happen for another fifty years. My guardian meant to tell me, but we havent spoken directly for at least three months now."

Sakura nodded. "It wasnt until last night that Grandfather made me summon a servant. I didnt want to participate, so I gave the servant and command seals to Shinji. Sorry Senpai."

Shirou chuckled. "Its alright. Although I have to question giving Shinji control over a being with that kind of power." Shinji may be something of a friend, but Shirou trusted him about as far as Shinji could throw him. That wasnt the original saying, but Shirou could throw Shinji pretty damn far if he really wanted to. The reverse was not true.

"I wouldnt worry too much about that. Each Master only has three command seals, and other than those seals, the masters have no real way of controlling the servants, except perhaps Berserker, but Im not sure on how that works. It... wasnt berserker right? Shinji may have some innate prana, but Berserker would drain that in an instant." Rin glanced at Sakura, more worried about how she would react if her brother died, than she was at the idea of Shinji dying. Actually, part of her wanted him to die. No one touched her sister.

"No, she was rider." Sakura looked both nervous and uncomfortable. She was probably worried about the idiot. "Nee-san, please dont kill him." She glanced at Rin with those doe-eyes, and Rin was pretty much putty in her hands. Not that Rin wouldve killed him anyway. If she was going to kill a man, it would be someone worthy of the deed, not a little rat like Shinji. Now, if her first kill was Zelretch, that would be something to be proud of.

"Of course, Sakura." Rin never used honorifics with Sakura, believing them to be too close to use them with. She would have done the same with Shirou, but he insisted on calling her Tohsaka, so she returned the favor.

Shirou frowned. "Wait, I do remember one thing. Akira said that the Grail War caused a lot of deaths." Oh no. Rin and Sakura both knew where this was going, but both knew that they could not stop it. "I cant let that happen."

Rin sighed. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you want to die." She shook her head, before laughing mirthlessly. "Of course youd want to stop it. Im not sure I can blame you, consider the events of the last war." They all knew she was referring to the Fire. "Im not sure I want to participate, but a servant will come in handy in case any masters or servants get up to anything shady, or stupid."

They sat in silence, until Taiga and Saber walked back into the room, with Taiga muttering curses about how she was losing her edge, and getting old. Saber almost looked amused.

Shirou glanced at his wrist, noticing the cut from earlier had already healed, without a scar, with only the blood remaining as evidence that it ever happened. _'What the hell...'_

* * *

 **AN** : And thus the start of the Grail War. Not much action yet, but we all know what servant comes next. Its a bit hard keeping everyone in character, but I hope I did well enough.

The Bank scene seemed a bit... off to me, but as much as I wanted, I couldnt really replace it without ruining the parts of it necessary for the plot I have in mind. As for anything in the scene itself, Id love to remind everyone that Shirou is still 16 and, while he isnt stupid, he also isnt the tactician that Kiritsugu was, and that Rin sucks with technology period, being brought up in a magus household, and then with Kirei and her grandparents. Her relationship with technology is about as good as Donald Trump's relationship with political correctness.

Anything else involving this chapter... lets just say, look at the quote at the top of the chapter. It should give you enough of a hint.

All in all, Things should start picking up immediately after this. I wouldve written more, but... its 4:30 in the morning and Ive already written quite a bit. Anymore and this chapter would last forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN** : The questions about Rin summoning Saber, and about what Servant Shirou gets should be answered this chapter.

Casual reminder that this Shirou is neither Archer, nor Canon!Shirou. At least... not fully.

Xanaris: You are perfectly right, and I didnt think much on it till you mentioned it, but that is a good point. Id like to think, however, its less sucking with technology, and only knowing what she has to to seem normal. Phones, cars, TVs, computers, things commonly used that would be strange if someone had no idea how to use them. Even then she wouldnt seem strange for only knowing some things. However, when it comes to security systems, guns, or things that teenagers generally dont need/have, I dont believe she would know anything other than they exist, and sometimes not even that. I see it more as a need-to-know, than a technology-is-evil lifestyle. But, too late to change last chapter.

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Shirou questioned as Rin continued creating the strange runes one the ground before him. They were currently in his shed, where Rin had summoned Saber. Shirou wasnt sure if it was a trick of the light or not, but Saber's eyes lit up when she saw the motorcycle that Kiritsugu left him. He had a license for it, but he rarely used it, since his school and the grocery store were both within walking distance. He wasnt quite sure how the bike had survived the fire, but Kiritsugu had it since then, at least.

"Because summoning a servant will help us a lot." Rin sighed. Shirou could be stubborn at the best of times, and at the worst, he was an immovable object. It did not help that he generally disliked relying on others. It came as no surprise that Shirou was against summoning a servant. According to Kirei, every servant had been summoned except Archer. Idly, she noted how terrifying an Archer/Saber combination could be, provided whatever Archer Shirou summoned was decent.

"I dont need the help, Rin." Shirou rolled his eyes, proving Rin correct.

"Then summon the servant to help Sakura, so she has someone to protect her while we fight." Rin had known Shirou for years, and knew exactly what to say to get him to agree, usually. When she couldnt convince him to do something, it was usually something that no one could convince him to do. Pointing out how Sakura would be vulnerable during the fighting was definitely enough to convince him.

Shirou paused, considering the truth. He knew Rin said that just to get him to agree, but she did have a point. Sakura was neither a Monster Magus like Rin, nor a Ridiculous Warrior like Shirou. In truth, she was an incredible magus, in terms of power and skill, but her skills were specialized and not to combat. Her archery was top notch too, but even then it paled next to Shirou. If anything, Sakura had the potential to become a support unit, but not a direct combatant. That being said, Sakura produced more prana than Shirou and Rin combined, though none of them knew why. According to both Sakura and Rin, Rin had more circuits as a child. How they knew each other as children was a question Shirou never asked. They would tell him if he needed to know.

"Fine, I just hope you know what you are doing." Despite Runes being one of the few things Shirou could do without utter failure, he never liked them. When Rin asked him why, he just mentioned that they smelled funny. Rin explained that it was probably because runes were meant to withstand Time, so the magic that resisted time interfered with his sensory, giving him a very odd smell. Shirou did not care, stating they smelled like old people.

"Glad you see it my way." Rin spoke smugly. "And done." Shirou could have done the Summoning Circle himself, but Rin outclassed him in nearly all magic. The only areas where he managed to overcome her skill were Projection and Structural Analysis. One might think Shirou's reinforcement was more effective, but in reality his reinforcement, at max, doubled whatever he was reinforcing. Rin could almost quadruple whatever she reinforced. The difference was that Shirou primarily used it on his own body, or on his swords. Rin also reinforced her own body, but Shirou's natural body was that much stronger, essentially meaning Rin's fully reinforced body could never match his own, even though she was better at reinforcement.

"So does there have to be an incantation?" Shirou questioned, hoping he could just pour prana into the circle and come out with a servant, rather than recite some silly aria.

"Of course, just read the lines in this book." Rin handed him a small book, which looked absolutely ancient, with the weathered pages. Rin turned to walk out of the shed, Saber following, though she kept her gaze on the bike with a longing look.

"Where are you going?" Shirou's eyebrow rose. Why would she be leaving?

"Duh. A servant summoned near another servant will probably attack that servant, let alone the master." Rin shook her head in exasperation.

"Oh." And that was that. Rin and Saber left the room, leaving Shirou to his work. He had to admit, he was curious as to what servant he would summon, since he lacked a catalyst. Because of that, he would summon the hero who fit him best, which he found himself curious about. Regardless, he began to recite the written lines, which made little to no sense to him, honestly.

"For the elements silver and iron. For the foundation, stone, and the archduke of contracts. For the ancestor, my great master Schweinorg. Close the gates of the cardinal directions.

Come forth from the Crown, and follow the forked road to the Kingdom.

Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill. Fill.

Repeat five times. But when each is filled, destroy it. Set.

Heed my words.

My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.

If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me.

I hereby swear...

That I shall be all the good in the world.

That I shall defeat all the evil in the world.

You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding... Guardian of the scales!"

Although the words were... strange at best, their aftereffects were obvious. Merely three seconds after he finished the incantation, the runes glowed a bright blue, before a red clad man appeared on top of the runes. "So she managed to summon me correctly this time" Shirou heard the man mutter, before he looked up. Expectant eyes turned to hateful eyes, and Shirou was immediately on guard.

Within the blink of an eye, Archer was upon him, with two blades, Kanshou and Bakuya, aimed to stab into Shirou, right at his lungs.

It was only his quick projection of his usual claymores that saved him. Incredibly, his claymores shattered once more, reminding him that weapons held by servants were far above his normal projections. With that in mind, he knew what he had to do.

Archer was mildly surprised to see that this Shirou managed to block his attack, quickly pulling back before darting forward again, acting like a snake striking forward. Normally, he would have resorted to his usual style of combat, but he was not fighting someone stronger than him, he was fighting a younger version of himself. While this version of himself was strong, he did not have the experience that the Counter Guardian did. Idly, Archer Traced Rule Breaker right next to him, barely nicking his own skin, and terminating the contract between himself and himself.

Shirou immediately parried the strikes with his newly proj-no, his newly Traced Gae Bolg. If Archer was surprised, he did not show it. He merely struck forward again and again, for the first time in a long time going on the offensive. Shirou's initial surprise wore off, and the two began to develop a pattern. If they were asked, they would both have denied enjoying the moment, but they would be lying.

In a burst of speed, Shirou pulled back, leaping out of the shed, which was surprisingly undamaged from the combat. He paused as Archer followed him out to the yard. "For a hero, you have no pride in your blades." Shirou noted. Archer's strikes were meant to maximize power, at the risk of his blades breaking. Judging from the feel of the strikes, they would break soon.

Archer's eyes widened, before they narrowed. "I dont need pride. I need results."

A combat pragmatist then. Just great. Shirou sighed before lowering into the same stance Lancer used. "We could probably talk this out." Shirou attempted to convince the Servant into peaceful negotiation.

Archer snorted, a grim smile on his face. "We both want this." Immediately after speaking, Archer charged Shirou, striking at his shoulders. Shirou backpedaled fast enough to avoid the majority of the injury, but not all of it. A thin cut appeared from his shoulder to his lower abdomen, blood trailing down the cut already.

Shirou grunted, before charging forward, spear aimed to pierce Archer's heart. Archer prepared himself to parry the spear, but was surprised when the spear dropped, his eyes momentarily stopping at the spear, rather than his enemy. In that moment, Shirou Traced Kanshou and Bakuya, striking Archer, who managed to avert the strike, except for a small cut which appeared on his right arm.

Archer stared at Shirou for a moment before jumping away, reminding Shirou of Lancer for a moment. As Archer left, he had an odd thought. _'Im a better swordsman than me.'_

Shirou looked to where Archer had vanished for a good minute, before the weapons in his hands, as well as the dropped spear, faded into prana. He calmly walked into his house.

Once Rin saw him, she immediately panicked. "Oh my god, Shirou what happened?"

"I summoned an asshole who severed the contract with some weird weapon and wants to kill me for whatever reason." Shirou stated calmly. He was coming off of the adrenaline high he had during the fight. More than that, he really wasnt too bothered by the idea of a servant wanting to kill him. Curious perhaps, but not worried. Although he had to wonder how bad his mind was that the best match for him was a servant who specifically hated him.

"Oh god, Im so sorry." Rin was genuinely panicking, however, as she felt guilty for what happened. "Sakura, get the first aid kit and bring it here." She spoke loud enough for Sakura, who was currently in the hallway to hear her. Part of Rin was glad that Sakura did not see Shirou, let alone know that it was because of her that he had been hurt. Sakura could be scary sometimes...

Within a few moments, Sakura was next to them, Shirou was shirtless, and they were examining the wound.

"Shirou... have you been practicing healing magecraft?" Rin's voice sounded as if she was a thousand miles away, her mind racing at the lack of a wound. The blood had obviously come from Shirou, his shirt being cut in the same location as the blood, yet there was no wound, not even a scar.

"No... this happened yesterday too, actually. I cut myself in the kitchen and when I looked at it again, it was already healed." He was rather perplexed at this.

Sakura was obviously the more worried of the three. She had only seen such regeneration when she had attempted to kill Zouken so many years ago. She had struck him with a knife, and out of sheer amusement, he let her. The way he healed afterwards was the most sickening thing she had ever SEEN. Note, feel is different than see. The way his skin stitched back together like some it was just some fabric under a sewing machine haunted her to this day. Hell, Zouken encouraged her to attempt to kill him after that, if only to show her how fruitless her efforts were.

However, she knew Shirou would never resort to such things, no matter how much he enjoyed fighting. Rin would never let him, either. The only other option for that level of regeneration was...

"Anyone bite you recently?" Rin asked warily.

"Oh good god Rin, I am not a Dead Apostle." Shirou huffed at the ridiculous suggestion.

Sakura giggled at the interaction, before turning serious again. Serious as it was, it would be more accurate to call her expression a mix of worry and nervousness. "Senpai, could it have been his weapon?"

Shirou shook his head. "I got a good read on them, they are great swords, but dont have any auxiliary effect that couldve caused this." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Though, could it be a personal skill?"

Rin shook her head. "Ive never heard of a personal skill like that. What did he look like? Maybe we can find his legend."

Shirou looked towards the ceiling. "Well, aside from hating me personally, he didnt show much personality wise, but he wore a red cloak. It had two crosses on it, so he was probably Christian. He wore black armor under that. As for physical attributes... he had white hair, spiky, but slicked back. His eyes were the color of steel. He was pretty tall, with sharp features, and he had tan skin." Shirou shrugged. "Thats about it, really."

Sakura and Rin stared at him for a long moment, making him confused. Rin began smacking her head into a wall, muttering something about idiots and temporal fallacies. Sakura just stared at him, before speaking. "Uh... Senpai, maybe we should schedule some counseling?"

Shirou blinked. "What for?" Oddly, Rin began to laugh.

"Well, I mean... Depression is a common issue, and suicidal thoughts are sometimes a symptom." Sakura suggested, her tone light.

"Im not depressed." Shirou was incredulous at the suggestion. He rather liked his life, actually.

Rin fell to the floor from laughter. Sakura cracked a small smile. "Of course not, Senpai."

"Okay, what are you two so amused bout?" Shirou stared at the two of them, an annoyed expression on his face.

Rin calmed from her laughter, for the most part, before explaining. "You summoned yourself, you idiot!" She immediately began to crack up once more.

"Okay, I can accept that I eventually become a Heroic Spirit, but I dont think you can summon future heroes, would they even be recorded in the Throne of Heroes yet?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it exists outside of time, so they have always been there, and have all yet to been placed there."

"Okay, but this guy acted nothing like me." Shirou defended. There was no way this guy was him. He couldnt accept that.

Rin finally calmed down fully, standing up. "What do you mean?" She was more curious than amused now, thankfully. Her laughing was beginning to grate his nerves.

"Well for one, he had no pride in his blades, like... at all. I dont have much, but damn if Im not proud of doing what no one else can." Shirou stated evenly. "Plus his style was... wrong. He was on the offensive most of the time, but it was like he had rarely done that before. When he finally went on the defensive... well, Ive seen stupid styles, but his was both stupid and brilliant."

"What do you mean" Sakura questioned, not bothering with Shirou's odd way of contradicting himself while being correct.

"He had so many openings, but the way he was positioned made it seem deliberate. He either wanted to die, or he is a defensive person, with a suicidal style... probably the latter." Shirou nodded in thought.

Rin frowned, but nodded. "Well, it could be from an alternate timeline. Like Sakura said, the Throne of Heroes exists outside of time, so its possible."

"But wouldnt that be well known? I mean an alternate version of, say... King Arthur could be a bloodthirsty maniac. That would be news."

Rin shook her head. "You are thinking about it wrong. Imagine the process of summoning as a highway, and the alternate timelines as lanes. Its easier to get off on an exit if you are in the closest lane, right? While its possible to go from any lane to the exit, you have to put forth more effort, and it generally isnt allowed, or advisable. That said, that means Archer's summoning was an improper summon... or worse."

Shirou looked at Rin, brow crinkled in thought. "Worse?"

The expression on Rin's face was absolutely grim. "It could be that something interfered. Something big."

And with that, the mood, which was already pretty strange, turned solemn.

* * *

Archer was quite unsure what to do now. He knew that this world's Shirou was not him. He did not have that physical power till at least five years after the grail war. That being said, he still had a job to do. Angra Mainyu was still part of the grail, which meant his job, no, his very existence demanded that he make sure Angra Mainyu could not be born. If Angra Mainyu fully formed, humanity was done for. Except possibly Zelretch, but Archer honestly had no idea how to kill that bastard. He had tried. Many, many times.

Aside from the absolute must that was destroying the grail, he was unsure what to do. He had no idea who he could go to for a master. In all the worlds where he had been summoned by Shirou, he had been tutored by Rin or Kiritsugu beforehand. Honestly, he was unsure which one was worse. Rin may be a magus who would eventually be on par with the Queen of the Clocktower, or on some occasions, Zelretch himself, but Kiritsugu was a brutal tactician who could probably have taken down the majority of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, provided he had a plan. Part of Archer realized that if he were any other magus, he would LOVE his position, since he got to visit so many parallel worlds and had the potential to learn types of magecraft that were dead to the world. If not for his position as Alaya's top dog, he would never have had the opportunity to see all of the incredible worlds. Only Zelretch had seen more than him, disregarding those who existed above the 'world'.

He had long given up on being freed from Alaya. He had tried killing his past self, making his past self turn into a true Heroic Spirit, even binding his soul to a world, but in the end he always came back to Alaya. He was no longer driven to relieve himself of the burden, he was just... tired.

It was a sobering thought. If he bothered to count the number of years he had been alive, he was probably the most experienced swordsman there was, in this section of Akasha's influence. All that time, all those lives taken. It was sickening to think he had begun to enjoy the thrill of battle. Perhaps it was because he mostly served Alaya as an assassin/archer, but he enjoyed fighting Heroic Spirits who could keep him occupied, rather than humans which died so easily.

In any case, he realized he had a problem. He had no source of prana. He COULD tap into the leylines, provided Caster had not already done so. He could try to find another master, but considering the few people he knew of in Fuyuki who would be suitable... Shinji, for all his lack of ability in magecraft, could feed him mana well enough, although having learned of what a despicable brat the child was, he did not want to know what Shinji would order him to do. Sadly, Shinji was also the best choice. Kirei and Zouken were also choices, but Archer would NEVER side with those two. The only thing creepier than those two in general was the rare timeline where they were actually good people. Seeing Kirei with a genuinely kind smile on his face, and Zouken acting like a kind old man... that was the most frightening thing he had ever experienced.

Considering the other option was to feel on souls, Archer was in quite the pickle. So, figuring there had to be at least one magus other than the usual who existed in Fuyuki, decided to go on a search... right after a quick visit to the closest bar. He did not know if Servants could get drunk, but damn if he wasnt going to try.

* * *

Kirei Kotomine was not a happy man. Probably because no one was currently suffering within his range of sight. However, he was also not angry. If there was a word that could describe the man, it would be empty. That being said, he did not believe current events were going in his favor. Rin befriending the son of Kiritsugu Emiya was both good and bad. Good, because until then Kirei had no idea the man even had a son, and bad because she was now out of his reach. He loved to witness her suffer.

That being said, he did genuinely like the girl. It was just that the only way he could feel any sort of happiness was through suffering, be it his own, or another's. From what he had heard of Shirou through Rin, who he was convinced was seeing Shirou through heart shaped glasses, he would like Shirou even more. It was only too bad Shirou had learned from his father's mistakes, or Kirei might have liked the boy even more. From what Rin said, Shirou had incredible morals, which he approved of.

The most horrifying thing about his life was not that his only chance to attain any form of joy, for any period of time, was through suffering, but that with all that, his morals were in tact. His soul was constantly tearing itself apart because of this, one path led to the horrifying emptiness, while the other led to temporary happiness yet eternal... guilt? Yes, he supposed, guilt fit. It wasnt like the emotion most would associate with guilt, it was deeper than that. Had he not been born empty, he would have been a saint. Because of the emptiness, he was a devil.

Of course he enjoyed every moment of it. He had no choice, after all. He would burn, and he had no choice in the matter. His own suffering was why he could smile so much now. Even a fake smile used to be impossible for him, it was only thanks to Gilgamesh that he discovered happiness. Part of him hated the Servant, part of him was grateful to the man. Both parts knew he could do nothing to the spirit, so he did nothing. People came to his church, cried for forgiveness, he lectured them in their sins, enjoyed the suffering that the guilt of their sins gave them, and lived a modest, boring life. At least until recently.

Yesterday, after Lancer had been repelled by a human teenager, of all things, Kirei felt something he had not felt since Kiritsugu Emiya had fought in the Grail War. Interest. For a human to be capable of facing a servant... Kirei agreed with Gilgamesh completely on one thing. Suffering gives strength. For a man to weather the weight of the world, he had to suffer first, which gave him strength. Humans only grew when they needed to, so if strength was necessary, then those who wanted that strength had to suffer for it. Everything he knew proved this true. So he had to wonder...

What sort of suffering could have created a human capable of facing a servant in this boring era?

...If he knew said human had at least two girls pining after him, living on an already-paid-for home, with considerable skill in all forms of fighting, and cooking, with various friends, and incredible connections, he would probably be as closed to pissed as he had been when the false human showed it could feel more than him.

That said, Gilgamesh also expressed interest in this human, claiming that it took a truly extraordinary soul to become powerful in this lackluster age. Kirei had to bribe Gilgamesh with wine so that the Heroic Spirit did not venture to meet this human. From what Lancer said, he would stand out easily. White and red hair, tanned skin, tall, and gold eyes. What kind of person had gold eyes? Honestly that made Kirei wonder what genetic defects this person could possibly be caring. Probably a lot, given his mixed hair and gold. fucking. eyes.

He had no idea why the color of his eyes bothered him so much, but it did.

* * *

Saber leaned back against the wall, having heard the conversation from the room she was in. Apparently Rin and Sakura would be staying at the Emiya household for a while because Shirou was summoning a servant. She wouldnt mind too much, but that boy... something about him was off. She felt a familiarity that should not be there. If he were her master, she wouldnt have minded, but she was just a friend of her master, which made him both a potential threat, and someone to protect. For all her actions, Rin was the kind of person who would let herself die before someone she cared about. Saber had seen that kind of person before. Her master had lost everything, she knew it. That was why she was so reluctant to lose anything, including money. Her master's frugality was less about money, and more about the concept of losing something. That might also be why she was a perfectionist.

In any case, Shirou Emiya... When she heard his last name, she had expected to be reminded of Kiritsugu, her former master. She was not. If anything, Shirou was closer to Irisviel than he was to Kiritsugu. To be more accurate, he was like some horrifying fusion of the two. Not to say she disliked him, she may not trust him, but in other circumstances, he was the exact kind of person she could come to respect. But he had the mind of Kiritsugu, if to a much lesser extent, still being a child, and the heart of Irisviel. She only hoped, for the sake of everyone in the city, that he did not drive like her. For all his faults, Kiritsugu had been a good driver. Irisviel... she would sooner ride a dragon from the inside than let her drive again.

She was not a magus. She had massive mana, even during life, but she could feel when it drained. Usually, it drained only when she used Excalibur, Prana Burst, or Avalon. She no longer had Avalon, but it had a distinct feeling when it was used. That was how she understood. Somehow, Shirou Emiya was in possession of her beloved sheathe. In life, she had thought Excalibur was more important, yet now she knew which was more important. She let out a sorrowful chuckle at that. Not a giggle, a chuckle. Warrior King Knights did not giggle, damnit!

She shook her head of those thoughts. Aside from his possession of her sheathe, she liked the kid, especially his cooking. Dear god she would have knighted him if he existed in her time, if only so that he could cook exclusively for her. Though she somehow imagined if she brought Shirou somewhere, even through time, Rin and Sakura would follow, somehow. Probably through Zelretch, who would find the situation all too amusing. She saw the way he looked at the two girls, and the way they looked at him. It was too bad... Heroes never got happy endings.

* * *

Shirou was in one of the most unnerving situations he had ever been in. No, he was not facing down Berserker, nor Gilgamesh, not that he knew who either of those were yet. No, he was laying down in his shed-workshop, shirtless, with two girls staring at him, one in worry, the other in concentration.

It was all because of him suggesting he cut himself and see how it healed so they could know what caused this miraculous healing. They knew it had not existed before, at least not to this extent. He had always been an extraordinarily fast healer, but that couldve been good genes. This was on an entirely different level, going right into regeneration. That was confirmed when his palm healed immediately after he sliced it, with only a blue glow to erase the wound. Yes, erase, not heal. It was as if the wound never even existed. There was no phantom pain, no scar, just... an inexistent wound.

Rin had not spoken much since, simply telling him to follow, then to remove his shirt and lie down. Sakura had not spoken a single word, though if the look on her face was any indication, she was worried... and embarrassed. He supposed that wasnt much of a surprise. A lot had happened to make the girl worry. Unlike Rin, she did not hide that worry, even if she was better at hiding things than Rin. He never managed to find out what she was hiding, but he didnt try all too hard. Whatever it was, she would tell him when she needed to.

He trusted his friends. They knew he could shoulder their burdens, but he knew that their burdens were just that, theirs. He had no choice but to wait until they were ready to share that burden. Pressuring them would make it worse. He had never been an idiot, so he knew this. For all his idiotic actions, most people failed to realize his intentions were the cause of it, not his intellect. He knew quite well how stupid it was of him to nearly break his body in training, but what other way could he possibly gain the strength he need to make Kiritsugu's dream a reality?

Anyway, Rin had brought him to the shed and began to examine him, making him feel tingly. No, literally, her prana was invading his body, if only slightly. While it would dissipate almost instantly, it gave her feedback about the condition of his body, and magic. It was an archaic method, but it worked well enough for those with enough prana to spare, like Rin or Sakura. Rin apparently did not want to wait to use the normal method, which Shirou did not know of, other than the fact that it was much cheaper, prana wise, to use. The method Rin was using currently was similar to echolocation, albeit with prana.

Shirou almost had a heart attack when Rin's face turned from concentrated to shocked, and she cut the prana flow. Sakura hardly fared any better, fearing the worst... not that he could really imagine how bad healing could get. Maybe hyper-aging. That would definitely explain the white hair, and his recent height boost.

"Shirou..." Rin began, a strange, hollow tone to her voice.

"Yes?" His voice was filled with trepidation, worried about what she had found. He would rather not die of old age at twenty.

"How the fuck did you get a Conceptual Weapon of Healing inside you?" Rin blurted out, shocking both Shirou and Sakura. While she tended to be less polite than the other two, she avoided using 'fuck' for some reason. It would have made sense, if she didnt use every other cuss word under the sun.

"I have a what." Shirou stared at Rin, a blank look on his face.

"A Conceptual Weapon..." Seeing Shirou's face remain blank, Rin explained further. "An item which embodies a concept, similar to that mystic code you created, remember?" Oh god did he remember THAT fiasco. He dropped it once, and it vanished into the earth, never to be seen again. Rin had laughed at his success/failure, and he had too. What did you think would happen with a mystic code in the shape of a pen, with the concept of 'cutting' placed onto it? Most magi would have simply made the pen into a plausible weapon through the process, but for someone who was a sword incarnation... well. It might as well have been a mono-molecular blade. Now when he placed it on the edge of his arrows...

"Sorry, I was confused because that name actually made sense." This time, Rin was the confused one. Seeing this, Shirou explained. "Oh, after all the ridiculous names like Heaven's Feel, Mystic Code, Noble Phantasm, Kaleidescope, and Dead Apostle, I expected the name to be misleading." Rin turned red, both from annoyance and embarrassment on her culture's behalf. Her perceived culture, at least. She may have all the talent of a top notch magus, but she was as ruthless as... well, as a teenage girl. She could probably buckle down and kill if needed, but she could not bring herself to harm anyone she cared about, especially not for something such as knowledge. Not that he would point that out to her. As much as he could destroy her physically, he was incapable of hurting her, while she knew he could take a couple of punches without feeling angry.

"Whatever. Look, whatever is inside you is healing you. Why it only started recently... Im not sure."

"But you have a theory." Shirou pointed out, recognizing the expression she held.

"Maybe, Ill have to check on something. If it turns out to be true, Ill let you know." Rin proclaimed. Good. When she set her mind to something, Rin could be downright scary.

"Are there any negative side effects?" Sakura finally spoke up.

Rin shook her head. "Nothing I can tell, although..."

Sakura glanced at her. "What is it?"

Rin sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. "Im not entirely sure, but if Im right, then... Well... You arent aging normally."

"Shit"

"Now now, its not bad, its more that your aging is slowed, possibly stopped." Rin frowned. "Though thats just a theory, I cant really tell this early, the only real way to prove it is to wait until you should age naturally, and see if you dont."

Shirou shrugged. "Better than hyper-aging. Kind of a wait-and-see thing, too. No use worrying over it right now."

"yeah, not much we can do for now, but on the bright side, with this level of healing we dont need to worry about you getting yourself killed." It was a testament to how strange the three were that the mention of death did not disturb them. Sakura, because of the worms, Rin, because of her parents' deaths when she was young, and Shirou because he was Shirou.

"Alright. Ive got to head out and pick up some food. I had no idea Servants ate so much." Shirou chuckled. "If she was a physical being, Id wonder where she put it all."

"Do you want me to go with you, Senpai?" Sakura asked, as polite as always.

"Ah... are you sure Sakura? considering my luck with Servants, it might get dangerous." He wasnt joking. It was incredible for a single being to encounter two servants within a 24 hour span, especially when one was on the first day of the war.

"Senpai will protect me." With the brightest smile Shirou had seen from her on her face, and a resolute voice, she gave her answer.

Rin sighed exaggeratedly. "I guess that leaves me to deal with Taiga."

"You could always come with us." Shirou responded with a confused grin.

"No, no, I think you two need the... _alone_ time." Rin grinned like the chesire cat.

"Nee-san!" Sakura flushed, expressing her displeasure, which Rin and Shirou both found adorable... not that either would admit it any time soon.

* * *

The trip to the store was both uneventful and quiet, Shirou and Sakura both being quiet people by nature. It helped that the employees knew the two well enough that the presence of two teenagers at eleven at night did not go questioned. Shirou never slept as much as other people, and Sakura was naturally a nocturnal person, just like her sister, only more agreeable in the mornings.

The boring part ended when a little girl appeared, skipping towards the two. The smell coming off the girl was similar to a normal magus, but... hollow. Not in the same was as Rin's Void scent, nor Sakura's Hollow scent, but as if she was a container, rather than a person. It was weird. It was only when a second smell hit his nose that he began to worry. The scent that he smelled was Horizon. To understand what that meant, one had to understand that Shirou's sensory revolved around placing whatever he smelled under things he understood, and this usually meant concepts. Usually it embodied the person's origin, like with Rin and Sakura. In this case... he believed it embodied the very concept of the existence of the thing that appeared behind the little girl. To try to reach this being would be to try to reach the horizon. This being was something beyond his capabilities, he knew, and yet, he felt an odd kinship with the beast.

At a massive height of over 300cm, this beast had a lion's mane for hair, with almost charcoal skin, and, oddly enough, heterochromia. One eye yellow, the other glowing red. All in all, this thing was something to run away from, but... He glanced back at Sakura, who looked frightened, yet still resolute... interesting.

"You failed to summon a servant Onii-chan~" Her voice was light and whimsical, as expect of a little girl. "I guess that means I dont get to play with you before you die" She pouted, discussing death as easily as the Broken Trio had a few minutes ago.

"Why do you call me that?" Shirou narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what was going to happen now. He handed the groceries to Sakura, and motioned for her to run.

"Oh she is free to go. Im only after you." Her fight was actually with Kiritsugu, but he had no need to know that. "And I call Onii-chan Onii-chan because he is Onii-chan." She pouted. If she wasnt probably going to attempt to kill him, he would have called her adorable. Little did he knew, she was older than him.

"Stay nearby, pay attention to the fight for Rin, then get home, alright?" Sakura nodded, though he had a feeling...

"Thats enough." The girl's voice turned to steel as she spoke. "I am Illyasievl Von Einzbern, master of Berserker."

Shirou nodded, as Sakura began to lightly jog away, as it was hard to run with groceries. "I am Shirou Emiya, former master of Archer."

Illya giggled. "Your servant died already, Onii-chan? Pathetic"

Shirou summoned Kanshou and Bakuya to his hands. He may not like Archer, but he did enjoy the two swords he used. "No. He tried to kill me, and ran away. Our contract was terminated by a conceptual weapon." One that he now had in his mind, though he did not want to use it. Unlike Illya, Shirou had relatively little magic circuits. More than the average magus, but compared to the monsters that were Sakura, Rin, and Illya... Well. He was not an idiot. Berserker would drain him dry. "Does he" Shirou pointed Bakuya at the beast. "Have a name?"

"Shirou Emiya, meet Heracles, or Hercules, the greatest of all heroes!"

Well. Shit.

* * *

Sakura managed to make it to the nearest pay phone in record time, before calling the Emiya residence.

"Emiya Residence" She heard Rin's voice over the phone, an uncaring tone in her voice.

"Nee-san!" Sakura spoke hurriedly, wanting Saber here as soon as possible. "Senpai is in trouble, bring Saber, quick."

"On my way" It was almost amazing how fast Rin's voice went from lazy and uncaring to serious.

Sakura wished she had kept Rider, at least, so that she could have Rider help Shirou out.

It was barely a minute before a blue, red, and black blur zoomed past her, all the while she heard her sister screaming for dear life. Wait... was that Senpai's motorcycle?

* * *

Shirou ducked under the massive blade. Actually, to call it a blade would be an insult to anything sharp. Or anything logical, as it was more a slab of rock than anything. Still, it was a Noble Phantasm, called Nine Lives, or at least part of one. Shirou wasnt quite sure about that, since the slab was a 'form' of the true Noble Phantasm, though he was not quite sure how that worked. Still, if he managed to get some room, he would used his opponent's weapon against him. After all, he would never expect that.

The thing screamed, a bestial roar more than a human scream, and Shirou idly remembered how Rin told him Berserkers, when affected by mad enhancement, did not think... normally. She seemed hesitant on that part, but this... thing. It did not think. It felt. That was the only way to put it, the thing reacted with instinctual skills, skills that Shirou, had he not focused on training in both hand to hand(Foot to face, in his case), and swordsmanship, would have never been able to match. That was just in terms of skill, too.

The man moved with a... Shirou hesitated to call it a grace, but it was as close to it as an eight foot man could come. His sheer speed and agility allowed him to _dance_ around the battlefield like a god damn ballerina. Shirou was small, and thus, more agile, but he was barely capable of match Berserker's speed, even with his full reinforcement. Even then, he lagged behind. For all his massive strength, Berserker was _fast._ So fast Shirou was lucky to be alive at this point.

He had already tried using Gae Bolg's special ability, but that did not even slow Heracles down. Illya proudly explained about Godhand, which made any attack lower than A rank useless. So, unless Shirou managed to Trace Nine Lives and activate it before Berserker killed him, it was over. Gae Bolg could be considered EX in terms of practicality, but in genuine ranking, it was only B, less so with the degradation which came with Tracing. He had already dismissed it after it shattered on Berserker's skin like glass, along with Kanshou and Bakuya.

Then it occurred to him. He did not have a Noble Phantasm of A rank power that he could Trace. He did, however, have A rank strength, when fully reinforced. Would it be enough? He hoped so.

Nine Lives swung back, too close to the ground for Shirou to duck this time. Instead, he jumped on it, for a split second, before jumping upward, and stretching his leg out, reinforcing himself to the max as he did so. His foot caught Berserker's chin, and for a moment, the world stopped. Berserker looked dazed, somehow, while Illya looked shocked.

Shirou immediately jumped back, pushing off of Berserker with his incredible strength. The worst part of this encounter was, unlike Lancer or Archer, Shirou did not have a single stat would was higher than Berserker's. His strength, fully reinforced, was absolutely monstrous. Berserker was twice as strong. His speed, fully reinforced, was below Lancer's. Berserker was just as fast as Lancer. His Mana, if he were a servant, would be considered less than E, as E was still ten times the average human, at least according to Rin. Despite his immense strength, speed, and durability, his magic reserves were paltry compared to even an E rank of Mana. Berserker did not have E rank Mana. He had A rank Mana. His durability at least matched Berserker's, theoretically. Though he was no longer a true Master, he could still 'see' servant stats. Berserker... was ridiculous. He had seen Saber's incredible stats, but Berserker was absolutely monstrous compared to her.

Illya giggled. "You somehow managed to daze him, congratulations. With that kick, you had me worried you killed him, but you cant do that~" The same light, mocking tone she had used before came through again.

Shirou took a second to look through his options, before realizing what he had to do. Unlike Godhand, which was based solely on Rank, rather than power, Tracing Degradation was based on power. Generally, it lowered the 'units' of whatever he traced by ten, if it were a Noble Phantasm. Nine Lives could get up to A+, in power. In Rank, it would work. In power, it would work.

Instantly, the oversized sword-axe manifested in his hand, before he swung it, calling out "Nine Lives: Blade Works" as he did so. Nine slashes, each aiming for a vital point on Berserker, shot out, seemingly at the same time. Even Shirou was amazed at the speed which the strikes occurred. He was happy to see his attack worked, seeing nine wounds appear on the giant.

Illya looked absolutely shocked at the result. "Three... Onii-chan managed to take down three lives. Incredible" Was this why Kiritsugu abandoned her? Because she was weak? This boy... was strong.

"Three lives?" Shirou asked, surprised at the drain on his reserves. Probably from fighting Archer earlier, then fighting Berserker now, without rest... combined with his Traced weapons, he should be about half empty right now, especially since he had activated two Noble Phantasms, as well as constantly reinforcing himself to stay alive with Berserker.

"Oh did I forget to mention that?" That innocent/smug expression was back on the girl's face. How she managed to pull off looking both innocent and smug, he would never know. "Godhand gives him twelve lives~ Good luck Onii-chan!" And the beast moved once more, steam rising from its body.

Shirou grit his teeth. He had just, according to Illya, killed this thing three times, what was nine more?

He Traced another copy of Nine Lives, settling into his usual dual wield stance, before pausing. He wasnt faster. He wasnt stronger. He wasnt more durable. He didnt even have more Mana than the beast before him. So he had to be smarter. Rin's conversation of Servant classes came to mind, bringing a smirk to Shirou's face.

Seeing the smirk, Illya puffed her cheeks. "Kill him Berserker!"

The great lumbering beast surged forth, the ground ripping apart from the power behind each step. Still, Shirou did not move.

 _'Berserker is just that. A being capable of only destruction, with no rational thought, generally.'_ Rin told him, back when he first learned of the war.

Even as the sword-axe descended upon him, he did not move. He idly noticed Illya bit her lip watching, a conflicted look appearing on her face. Interesting.

 _'therefore, to beat a Berserker, you just have to think. Berserker's very existence is to go berserk, to attack relentlessly.'_

A twitch of his wrist was all it took. The Nine Lives in Berserker's hand moved just slightly, enough to miss Shirou, and embed itself into the ground. It would not stop Berserker for even a second.

 _'So you fight defensively, wait for an opening, then kill it.'_ Shirou had completed Rin's explanation, bringing a grin to her face. Trust Shirou to know anything about battle.

Still, a fraction of a second was all that was necessary.

 _'If an opponent is stronger than you'_ Taiga had once lectured him _'You can divert the blow of the blade by smacking it from the side. All the power of the blade is headed in a single direction, so batting it aside actually takes less strength, but more skill, than blocking._ '

The Nine Lives in Shirou's right hand stabbed forward, aiming right for Berserker's heart, getting closer and closer, until...

The beast shot backwards with that ridiculous speed, avoiding the attack by a hair. Shirou was shocked for a brief second.

Still, a fraction of a second was all that was necessary.

Berserker mocked the same action Shirou did, confusing him. Still, Shirou sidestepped the attack, bringing his left blade up to slash Berserker's neck. Surprisingly, it connected, the blow cutting from his neck to his hip. Just deep enough to be fatal.

 _'Eight more'_ Shirou thought, focusing on the task at hand.

Berserker swung his sword-axe sideways, hoping to catch Shirou in his swing. Shirou, rather than jumping so close to Berserker, who he remembered was Heracles, who was a skilled wrestler in life, judging from the Nemean Lion, stabbed his right Nine Lives into the ground, blocking the block, though pushing Shirou away from Berserker.

For a tense moment, the two limitless beings stared at each other, before they struck. Shirou blocked, stabbed, and dodged. Berserker took all the hits, none of them yet vital, all the while swinging his weapon to kill Shirou.

Illya could hardly believe her eyes. When she learned that her Onii-chan had driven away a hostile servant, she imagined he had merely summoned a cowardly, or weak servant, like Assassin or Caster. What she did not expect was for this boy-no, this warrior, to be capable of killing Berserker FOUR times. Even that Lancer only managed to take a single life, and that was through a combination of runes and Gae Bolg, which was a Noble Phantasm.

Watching Berserker and Shirou clash was the most incredible, terrifying, and awe-inspiring thing she had ever witnessed. For each attack Berserker made, Shirou was able to block it, having the advantage of having two blades instead of one. That said, Shirou had yet to be able to make any more killing blows against Berserker, but the fact that he had lasted this long was insane. Humans werent supposed to be capable of such feats! What WAS this guy? She would have been proud of her brother, if she didnt want to kill him. Honestly, now she wanted to study him. As odd as the girl was, she knew Shirou was... different. To be able to match a servant... he either had to be a Dead Apostle Ancestor, as doubtful as it was, or he was something new, which was both promising and terrifying. THIS was the boy she was supposed to kill?

The two monsters clashed, again and again, and soon minutes passed. Illya found the two had gone on in a sort of dance, with Berserker swinging his weapon once, followed by Shirou blocking the weapon, then attacking with whatever weapon was not blocking, which Berserker dodged, then attacked again, which Shirou dodged. It continued like this for some time, before Shirou managed to land ANOTHER fatal blow, this time Tracing a third Nine Lives and kicking it right into Berserker's gut, impaling him on the weapon. Naturally, that did nothing to stop her precious Berserker, but it was still incredible. At least, it would have been fatal, had Berserker's Godhand not had time to regenerate his body, giving him an immunity to the blade, shocking Shirou.

Suddenly a voice called out "SHIROU! TEN METERS, BACK!" Illya glanced in the direction the voice came from, not registering it fast enough. Berserker also seemed distracted, probably more from his death/resurrection than the voice, but it was enough for Shirou to shove off of the ground, jumping ten meters back. Illya was glad she had decided to sit away from the fight, as she heard a world.

"EX...CALIBUR"

The world around Berserker became nothing but light, yellow and... glorious. Even though she was disappointed Berserker died again, she felt 'hope' come from that light. Still, she had to question. "Why is King Arthur a girl?" Shirou stared in the direction of the blast, the same question coming to mind, although he was not about to ask that.

Five lives... Illya decided enough was enough. "Berserker! We are leaving!" She immediately felt herself being picked up by the Hero, who, in a fit of sanity, paused, turning to Shirou, and nodding, a smile on his face. Illya's eyes widened, even as Shirou returned the gesture.

One thing was for sure. Her Onii-chan was incredible.

* * *

"Shirou!" Shirou was unsure of who said it, Sakura or Rin, but both of them hugged him as tight as they could, his weapons having already disappeared. Cuts littered his body, the very wind from Berserker's swings being enough to cut him, though not deep. Even so, he was in quite a bit of pain, but he enjoyed the hug, both for the pressure it applied to the bleeding areas and because his human nature.

Then Rin slapped him. Then Sakura slapped him. Then Saber... spoke to the bike. His bike. Like a horse. No, he was too tired for this shit.

"I probably deserved that first one, but why the second?" Shirou questioned.

"You scared me." Sakura mumbled, leaning further into him, only for him to topple over, the three of them falling into a mess on the ground.

"Ow." Shirou muttered blankly. "So... I dont think I can walk."

Sakura shared a glance with Rin, before they both used their shoulders to help him stand. "So how was your fight with Berserker?" Rin questioned.

"How did you know it was Berserker?" Shirou blinked.

This time, Rin, Saber, and Sakura gave Shirou a dull stare. "Right, stupid question. Anyway, Id say it went rather well. If I counted right, I managed to kill him four times, and Saber's Excalibur killed him once too."

Rin glanced at Shirou as if he were an idiot. "Shirou... people die when they are killed."

"And since WHEN has anyone in this town followed normal logic? We have three Magi who are more humane than most magi, one of which can generate enough Prana to match a Caster servant, one of which can physically match a Berserker class Heracles, and one who can physical outclass both Assassin and Caster, while preforming magic on a level beyond even fully grown magi. I dont think a servant with multiple lives is impossible at this point. Oh, and apparently he cant be harmed by anything less than an A rank attack. Apparently he can be dazed with enough power, but even then it just dazes him, rather than actually damages him. His stats? Everything but Luck is A, and his strength is A+. If he didnt have Mad Enhancement, I would have died faster than you could say 'Unlimited Blade Works'"

 _ **SHZZT**_

Shirou flinched as the words spilled from his lips before he knew what he said. Unlimited Blade Works? A world of swords entered his mind, for a brief moment, before he came back to reality. He shook his head. "I did good, I think. If Im right on this servant stat thing, Ive managed to get my strength to A rank, and my speed/endurance to B, if I used full reinforcement."

Rin sighed. "Just... be careful, okay? I dont know what I would do-with Sakura, if you died." She added the 'with Sakura' in a hurried voice, but that was probably just her pride.

Sakura chose that moment to ask a very important question. "How are we all going to fit on the motorcycle?"

They all stared at the vehicle for a moment, before Shirou flipped out his phone, dialing a certain number. "Shirou! What are you calling so late for? I know school is out today, but its almost midnight." Idly, Rin glanced at Shirou's watch, mysteriously undamaged. It was closer to eleven thirty than midnight, but that was Taiga for you.

"Hey Fuji-nee. Sorry, you know I wouldnt ask, especially so late, if I didnt need it, but Saber and Sakura need a ride, and my motorcycle wont carry them all."

"Oh alright, where are they?"

"At the corner of Hoshimura and 35th. At the field next to Wallace's Grocer."

"Alright, give me ten minutes." With her driving, it would be about three.

As Shirou closed the phone, Saber spoke up. "Master, is this wise, separating me from you? Shirou is in a weakened state, and unable to defend you."

Rin glanced at Shirou, obviously wanting his reasoning.

"Im injured, Sakura is vulnerable. Having you with me lets Saber protect Sakura, and if we get ambushed, you can summon Saber."

"Wouldnt having Saber ride with you work just as well?" Sakura spoke up.

"No, because she would try driving MY motorcycle." Saber and Shirou glared at each other, before Saber backed down, her code of honor overriding her love for the machine. Even so, Rin noticed the small pout on the Servant's face.

"Fine" Saber huffed, turning away with her arms crossed, obviously not pleased by the events.

Rin idly noted she had never been on the motorcycle with Shirou. She wondered how he drove. Sakura had gone with him a few times, when they went out of the city for special sales on rare food.

As she got on, right behind Shirou, she remembered what he said earlier. "I thought you couldnt walk?"

"Oh yeah, motorcycles dont really require much footwork compared to a car, or even walking. All I do is twist my wrist, and off we go." Shirou chuckled, obviously he loved the machine.

"Huh. I havent seen any around here." Rin noted.

"Oh, most people dont like to use them in the city. Too busy." Shirou explained.

"Ooooh I see" Rin spoke with her lazy tone. "So how do you drive, personally?"

Shirou cracked the most malicious grin she had ever seen on his face. "You are about to find out."

A minute later, they were home. Rin was clutching onto Shirou tighter than he thought possible, frightened by the 300mph speeds. Considering his reflexes were at least thirty times a normal human's, without reinforcement, he felt safe doing it. His bike, having been upgraded from the spare parts the Yakuza he helped had given him, could reach even faster speeds, especially if he bothered to reinforce it. Even so, with Rin disliking cars, and rarely having moved faster than footspeed, it was no surprise the girl was frightened.

Shirou finally pried her off of him, watching her stand on wobbly legs. He suppressed a laugh at that. The big bad magus, scared of high speeds. Berserker moved faster than that motorcycle, for god's sake. He couldnt fault her though. The first time he reinforced his speed, he was even worse.

As they walked through his door, Rin collapsed onto the floor. A few minutes later, when Sakura and Saber arrived, Rin asked Sakura "How do you handle his driving?"

Sakura looked bewildered. "Havent you ever been in a car? Senpai only goes the speed limit."

"And how fast is the speed limit?"

"Sixty kilometers an hour, fourty in the city."

Rin glared at Shirou, whose smirk was not helping his innocence. "You bastard."

Shirou just shrugged with a smile. Today was a good day. Two fun fights, and he had a new favorite weapon to dual-wield.

* * *

 **AN** : Holy hell I could not stop on this one. I promised a fight with Berserker and by the time I finished that, it was almost 10k. Whew

 **Edit:** One of my friends reminded me about the third effect of godhand, that is to become immune to attacks that have killed him before. My bad, every time I read anything about it, everyone put 'resistance'.

That being said... a few things. Yes, Shirou is above normal human limits. Im rather sure that has been stated. Shirou's ability to go beyond human limits WILL be answered, just be patient. Revealing it now would be both tacky and boring, as well as destroy a plot point. And yes, Nine Lives IS A Noble Phantasm... check out the wiki, or Berserker's stat sheet. How was Saber summoned? In a shack. Which held the same summoning circle from her last summoning. As well as a motorcycle she used. As well as the suit she wore. With Rin utterly lacking any real conduit, as her necklace was not with her (Why WOULD it be? She is visiting a friend, not showing off her /lackof/wealth.

To be absolutely clear, yes, Shirou's base parameters are well above and beyond human limits. Human limits, to my understanding, are 1/10th of E rank. Why is Shirou so much stronger than other humans? Be patient and find out. All will be revealed with time.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN** : To clear up some of the confusion, the last chapter has been edited. The main change was removing one of Berserker's deaths, because of his death by the same weapon.

Too many reviews with the same basic questions, so here we go.

Shirou is undoubtedly OP for this moment, but he has already fucked himself over, as we see in this chapter. Berserker is now immune to Excalibur, the noble phantasm, and Nine Lives, both NP and the weapon itself. Not to mention he now has the attention of certain dangerous individuals.

The Rin/Sakura slap... was pretty justified. Shirou did something stupid by holding his ground to fight, rather than running away, after Sakura left. Granted, that was a weird decision on my part, and I did not have any real justification for it, other than it seemed to fit.

Let me make this clear. Archer, in this story, is much MUCH older and more cynical than his canon counterpart. He has killed his past self, made his past self a hero, done all sorts of things, and none of them have worked. He has given up hope, but he keeps on trying anyway, because in the end he IS Shirou Emiya. He knows/believes it is futile, but what else is he going to do? Give up? He is much older, much more cynical, and much less caring. At this point, the only person he can kill without guilt is himself, and he has begun to enjoy the simple thrill of fighting, among other things. His contempt for himself lies within his ideals, which he considers contradictory and self-damning. Limitless-Shirou has these ideals, but he also has self-worth. That is one of the main differences between himself and his canon counterpart, personality wise.

Congrats to the people who tried to guess on why Shirou is beyond human. I wont say whether or not you got it right, but my goal is to make you think about it yourselves. Consider it a challenge issued from me to any reader. If you can correctly guess why Shirou is different, I will be impressed.

Most importantly of all, no, I will not be able to update every day. Well, I probably could if I did nothing but sleep/work/write, but Id rather not do that. Expect most of my updates during the weekend.

* * *

 _Forward._

 _There were no thoughts, no feelings, nothing, but this word. For his life, for his very soul, he marched forward, the screams of people around him, stepping over carcass after carcass._

 _Some unfortunate few had the misfortune to continue living, even as he passed them. First they begged for his help, but as he walked past, they cursed him with whatever power they had left._

 _Forward._

 _He could not stop to save them, lest he die. He did not want to die. He wasnt sure if he wanted to live, but he knew he did not want to die._

 _Forward._

 _His mind was already shattered, his memories lost, his emotions dulled to the point of non-existence, his very soul **broken** yet still he trudged on._

 _Forward._

 _He kept going, for what seemed like hours, or even days. No matter the time it took, he would not die. He could not die._

 _Forward._

 _Another person trapped under a building, staring in his direction. For a moment, the boy paused. There was something different in these eyes. The man's mouth moved, but the boy could not hear, still, he could understand the words somehow._

 _"I forgive you"_

 _And with those three words, his entire existence shattered, his emotions, memories, his soul, completely gone from his body. An empty husk, driven only by the will to not die. Not the will to live, but to not die. The difference was staggering._

 _Forward._

 _He knew not how long he walked, but he knew he had started in the center of the source of the fire. The empty boy finally fell, his body giving out. He knew he would die in this fire, and he felt nothing about that. No fear, no anger, no disappointment, just... calm understanding. Acknowledgement of his eminent death._

 _Then_ He _appeared, smiling, tears of joy in his eyes. The boy's empty body had one last feeling, before he lost consciousness._

 _'I wish I could be that happy.'_

Shirou awoke silently, horrified by the dream, but not scared. If anything, he felt hollow after having witnessed that hellscape. It made his trip through the fire look easy by comparison. Unlike this dream, his own trip through the fire was not driven by a will to not die, but... fear. Not fear of death, but a fear of what the fire signified. Weakness.

It was his weakness that caused him to even be near the fire, he believed. It was only blind luck that he found Kiritsugu, and saved him. If he had not found the man, he would have never escaped the fire. Part of him still dreamed of that time, when he was _weak._ He despised it. His weakness had allowed so many to die. It was why he had always wanted to become strong. That utter helplessness from the time was almost as daunting as the dream he just had. Maybe he had a skewed perspective, since he had only dreamed of what he assumed was Archer's version of the fire, but even so, it horrified him.

Truly, if Archer was a being of **Will** , then Shirou was a being of **Fear**.

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing, before deciding to get up. He usually avoided waking up too early, but he knew he would get no more rest. The dream had brought back memories of the fire, which brought back memories of his weakness afterwards. He used to be frightened by the slightest spark, but now.. he loved fire.

He realized it during training, how he loved fire. It frightened him, yes, but... that was the point. If he had not felt that fear, he never would have realized how overbearingly _weak_ he was. He would have traded that if he could have saved the lives of those who died in the fire, but... he knew he could not, so he never thought much on it. Until now, he had never seen the true horrors which the fire had brought about. He had always know the fire was not normal, but to see what it did to people... Fire burned, and humans died from fire rather slowly. This fire did not just burn. It did everything it could to any living creature it could. From Archer's memories, he had seen the fire actually curse people, morphing their bodies until it looked like they died of the Black Death, and then turning them to ash only after they had suffered. The unspeakable horrors.

Shirou shook his head. He would rather not think of them right now. He had to make breakfast for the other three occupants, and no doubt Taiga, as she usually showed up, regardless of school being closed or open. Crazy woman...

One might ask how Shirou could fight against monsters like Berserker, and not be terrified. The simple fact was, it was not death that scared him...

* * *

Kirei Kotomine had long decided what his actions would be during the Grail War. Capture a servant, preferably Lancer, get information on all servants, get Lancer killed somehow, use Gilgamesh to win the Grail. He was not used to his plans changing. That was probably the reason he was understandably surprised when Caster appeared at his door, asking for an alliance. The woman was hooded, but he could tell just what kind of being she was. She wanted to live. It was that simple. Willing to make a deal with the devil to do so, even. Though she did not know the true extent of his nature, she knew that he was a monster, and still she came. It must have been something incredible to force her into such a position. How she knew he was the master of Lancer was quite unexpected. To have been spying on the mediator of the Grail War... truly, she was desperate. He knew he should have placed Bounded Fields to prevent Caster's scrying when he killed Bazett, but he had little choice. Bazett would have noticed far too easily, and that would have been hard to explain, as he was merely a mediator of the war, only speaking with her to speak of his neutrality. At least, that was what she believed.

Lancer had been angry, even saddened at her death, but he did what warriors did best. He moved on. Kirei had teased him relentlessly, Gilgamesh often joining in on tormenting the hound. It was amusing how easily Lancer was manipulated. The fact that Kirei had so many command seals was also a factor of Lancer's obedience.

"Why is it you seek an alliance?" Kirei stated emotionlessly, wondering whether or not she knew of Gilgamesh. If she did, she would have to die either way. He could not risk it. Gilgamesh was no doubt an incredible servant, but even he could not take on all other servants at once... probably. If any of the servants were smart, Gilgamesh would be doomed. No doubt the King was intelligent, but his ego was so massive and easy to manipulate that someone skilled in manipulation would have no problem making the King lose his cool, and focus on them.

"Because last night Berserker appeared." Caster shivered at the memory of that foul beast.

"I am content to wait for Berserker to die through another, if that is all you are here for, you should leave. I will not harm you on church property." He was still a christian after all, even with all his cruel actions and demented philosophies.

Caster sneered at him, an expression mixed with both worry and derisiveness. "Berserker was killed at least three times, from what Ive seen."

Kirei sighed at the woman's stubbornness. "It is of no concern to me if he has m-"

Caster interrupted him, rather rudely. "Two of those lives were by a human."

Kirei paused. A human capable of not just fighting, but killing Berserker? Extraordinary... could it be the man Lancer mentioned? "Was this man a master?"

Caster shook her head. "No, but he was allied with the master of Saber."

Kirei's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure it was the master of Saber?"

Caster gave him a dull stare. "King Arthur, or I suppose Queen Arthur herself. Shouted Excalibur to the heavens and destroyed Berserker with ease. She was even holding back, to save the man who killed Berserker before that."

Kirei stared at her for a moment. If that was true, then Rin was involved with this boy... And it clicked. The mentions of his training, Rin confiding how much Shirou's power terrified her. At the time, Kirei had thought it was the result of Shirou some magecraft or skill that Kiritsugu had taught him, yet...

He laughed. Kiritsugu Emiya had been a coward, avoiding battle to save his own life. An intelligent man, but a coward nonetheless. His son, it seemed, was the exact opposite. Kiritsugu had feared dying so much he even made sure to show that false human as the master of Saber, rather than himself. A good tactical move, much better than Tokiomi's silly false murder of assassin. He respected Kiritsugu for his tactics, but was dismayed by his cowardice. If he had discarded those silly fears, perhaps the man would have been an even better fighter than Kirei.

Caster was greatly unnerved by the man's hollow stare, as well as his absolutely sadistic laughter. He forgot that people found him creepy, sometimes. "Ah... interesting, very interesting." Oh god, he hoped Gilgamesh did not find out his precious Saber was back. Gilgamesh was more willing to share his wine than he was to give up his obsession with Saber, the Banquet of Kings notwithstanding. "Very well. This alliance will be fine. However, what do you plan to offer me? While I can offer you protection should all else fail, as well as a base of operations and information on servants, what can you give me?"

Caster grinned impishly, pulling out four oversized circles. Bracelets and anklets, he assumed. "I have heard much about you Kirei Kotomine. My first master was worried about you, after all. A skill executor, capable of taking down incredibly strong individuals by sheer power. Even without magic, you would have been one of the most terrifying Executors alive. With it... I am unsure how you came to such an incredible physical state, able to match E rank servant speed, ten times human average, with the strength to match. Truly, you are a monster." Kirei was not offended. He agreed with her, even. "However, even you can only match a servant as physically weak as myself or Assassin, and even then you would be at a disadvantage. I have Item Creation skill, at A rank, and these are imbued with the concept of 'Reinforcing'... So tell me... would the ability to match even monsters like Berserker suffice as a trade-off for this alliance?" She had been planning on giving it to Kuzuki, but while the man was beyond normal human limits, Kirei was still beyond even him. Likely, he would become just as much a monster as the boy who fought Berserker.

He stared at the bracelets and anklets for a long moment, before a smile broke out on his face. "I believe this deal is satisfactory." Gilgamesh had arrogance. Kirei had common sense. He could probably eliminate a servant, under the right conditions, but if he could physically match Berserker... There was no chance for this war to be in anyone's favor but his own.

Caster's face turned blank for a moment. "However, there are two things I want." Kirei nodded, knowing that there were very few things he cared about. "I want to know if there is a way for a servant to incarnate into the physical world. And I want you to kill the one who dealt with so many of Berserker's lives."

Kirei almost killed her right there. She seemed to know about Gilgamesh, but it was possibly she believed there was simply another way of existing beyond the grail. "Very well. Although I must question, would it not be more prudent to kill Berserker?"

Caster snorted, her tone derisive again. "If you can pull an A rank Noble Phantasm out of your ass, by all means, but anything less will bounce off of him like a rubber ball."

"No doubt you have tried." Kirei grinned at her frown, enjoying the small bit of misery the reminder set upon her. "In any case, if this man was capable of killing Berserker, would it not be better to wait until after Berserker was killed by him entirely?"

Caster shook her head, sighing. "I wish. As it is, the man wasted his chance. While he took down several lives of Berserker, now neither he nor Saber have any chance of killing him." Well, if the boy managed to copy another A Rank Noble Phantasm, but what were the chances of that?

"I see... why is that?" Kirei questioned, his face blank as usual.

"Berserker, once killed by something, gains an immunity to whatever killed him. Judging from the boy's feat of killing him with the same weapon twice, we can assume that it counts Noble Phantasms and the weapons themselves separately, as the boy managed to kill him through use of a Noble Phantasm, then through use of the weapon itself. I have no idea how we could deal with him, honestly, but that boy cannot be allowed to roam free. Isnt it your duty as Mediator to deal with this interferer?"

True, it was his job to mediate the war, but as far as he knew, there were no rules regarding outside interference concerning a magus on par with a Servant. "I have a secret weapon in store for Berserker, then, but for now, let us focus on this man."

"Wonderful" Caster's grin was nothing but cruel and maddeningly pleased. The woman thought she could pull one over on him... how naive.

* * *

Illya was out and about as usual, not in the least worried about Berserker's lost lives. After all, he was now immune to Saber's attack, as well as Shirou's. It was an uneven tradeoff, but not one she would have minded, had she known how strong her Onii-chan was. Saber would have been a large worry otherwise, too. No other servant had the outright stats to overpower Berserker. Now the only real threat was Archer, who was an unknown. Rider was a potential threat too, but that could be rectified easily enough. Assassin and Caster were laughable. Caster had very few spells that could even damage her precious Berserker, and Assassin, while absolutely ridiculous against a normal servant, had nothing that could actually hurt Berserker. That was what happened when a false-magus summoned a servant. They summoned a false-servant.

Still, she realized, she had lost last night. She might have gained a long term advantage, but she had lost the fight. There was no denying that. Shirou had killed Berserker four times, and with little injury, other than random scratches from the wind of Berserker's attacks. Shirou would have died had Saber not showed up when she did, that was true. He may not have noticed it himself, but he had pushed himself beyond his normal limits, whatever they were. It was obvious he had never been in such a tiring battle before. Endurance was his weakness, no doubt. Still, he was terrifying. Disregarding his Reinforcement for a minute, his passive parameters should have been impossible. Then again, she was a walking prana battery, so she had little room to talk. The sheer amount of her prana was enough to manifest a servant outside the Grail War, for months, without her body giving out. It was said to be impossible for any magus, other than those so far above the average magus that they were legends, such as the Twenty Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors.

Regardless, Onii-chan had to die. Kiritsugu's betrayal had ensured that much. She would die by the end of this Grail war, but she would kill him before then. Right now, he was her primary target. "Shirou Emyia... Sorry Onii-chan, youll have to die soon."

Apparently someone heard her, as she heard a voice speak out. "We have the same enemy." The voice was male, certainly, but as she turned to look at the person who spoke, she, instead, caught two people. One was cloaked, while the other was wearing strange clothing. "Yes, Shirou Emiya. I want him dead, you want him dead. That is my purpose for entering this grail war. Will you perhaps agree to an alliance to deal with him?"

Illya tilted her head. True, Berserker was now immune to the copies that Shirou had produced, as well as Excalibur's blast, but that did not mean she could afford to get arrogant. She had done so last night, and lost five of Berserker's lives because of it. An alliance... wasnt so bad. She had no use for the grail, as she would probably die before it fully manifested. Either way, this man was offering her the chance to kill Onii-chan a lot easier...

Illya grinned. "Of course. I see no reason why not to." She had no idea that the man had planned this as soon as he learned of her identity, and connection to Shirou. Nor did she know the man's true desire.

* * *

"Shirou? What are you doing up so early?" Rin grumbled as she began to drink her coffee. Generally, she preferred tea, but Shirou made her coffee by mistake once, and she was hooked. She hated the taste, pouring large amounts of creamer and sugar into it to keep it from being too bitter, but it woke her up... if slowly. Probably why she had referred to him by his first name, not that he minded.

"Couldnt sleep." Rin blinked at Shirou's gruff response. He was never this rude. It was obvious he was agitated.

"Look, I know you are mad over your loss last night, but-"

Shirou interrupted her, glaring at her. "I am not weak."

For the first time in a long time, Rin remembered her old fear of Shirou, how he would get angry whenever someone suggested he was weak, and how terrifying his anger was. "Shirou... I didnt say that. A single loss doesnt make you weak, not against a monster like Berserker. Now tell me whats wrong."

Shirou sighed. Trust Rin to be perceptive enough to notice. Not... that he was any good at hiding it. "Sorry, I just... I saw Archer's memories last night."

Rin's eyes widened, and her face dropped its expression. "oh... was it that bad?"

Shirou shook his head. "In-in the fire." Shirou had told Rin and Sakura about the fire years ago, almost immediately after they first came to his house. "He did not take the same path as me."

Rin looked positively horrified. "Oh god, dont tell me-"

Once more, Shirou interrupted her. "He went through the residential district. The bodies, the deaths, the sheer death... he saw all of it, every last bit."

Rin wanted to interrupt, but... part of her felt it would be best to get this off his chest.

"He stepped over the bodies of the dead, ignored the pleas of help from the dying, he ignored everything but his own survival." Shirou laughed mirthlessly. "Worse yet, he saw one person, who was trapped. The man knew he could have saved him, and that he would not. All the others cursed him, but that man simply said 'I forgive you'. That... broke him. I... he broke so much there was almost nothing left. Just a will to not die. He kept walking forward, until he dropped. That was where Kiritsugu found him, smiling and crying of joy. You know what he thought at that moment? That child who walked through Hell?" Shirou snorted. "He thought 'I wish I could be as happy as him'."

Rin was partially horrified, though kept her horrified state buried underneath an expressionless mask.

"But the worst part..." Shirou turned away from her, looking out the small window above the sink. "The worst part is that... I would have done the same."

And like that, she understood. Maybe not his full perspective, but she knew what he meant. To know you would have done the same as someone who had ignored the pleas of help, and the death of all but himself... for someone like Shirou, it must have been horrifying. For her... it was obvious. There were only a few people she cared about on such a level as to risk her life for them, thus she would gladly ignore the death of strangers for her own survival. She was not a hero, nor was she trying to be. Shirou though...

Two pairs of arms snaked around his torso, surprising him slightly. He smiled slightly, before Rin spoke. "You arent him."

Sakura nodded beside her, causing Shirou and Rin to both wonder when she got there. "Nee-san is right, Senpai. You risked your life to save mine, even though the logical thing to do would have been to flee." Precisely, it would have made more sense to flee while carrying Sakura away. He wasnt faster than Berserker, but no doubt he was smarter, could hide better, and was less... noticeable. That would have been the logical option, and yet... He would not lose. Not again.

"Yeah, but that... was different. That fire... I only saw what it did to buildings, but to see what it did to people... I would have done the same. That fire was not natural. Whatever it was, it specifically targeted anything living, and it did not just burn them... It cursed them. It made your strongest Gandr look like a single cough. Im going to find out what made that fire, and Im going to make sure it never happens again." Yes... that was the single purpose he had now. Whatever had caused the fire was something beyond evil. It was something out to kill every living creature in the world, with a particular hatred for humanity. What kind of Hero, hell, what kind of human would he be to let such an evil persist?

For a while, all was quiet in the Emiya House, the group having gone back to eating breakfast. Then the door was kicked in. Shirou almost projected Nine Lives, his new favorite weapon, and threw it. He probably would have done that, if he had not been expecting Taiga. Instead he stood up, stopping just before the sword-axe manifested, Rin and Sakura almost as shocked at the door being kicked in as they were at Shirou's paranoid actions.

Taiga walked into the house as if she owned the place, which, considering the legalities concerning her Guardianship, she might as well have. Kiritsugu and Shirou trusted her.

"Fuji-nee! You almost gave me a heart attack." Not an inaccurate statement, as his heart was pumping blood in anticipation for a conflict. He was on high alert since last night.

Sakura frowned at Taiga. "Sensei, you should have more respect for Senpai's door, you could have broken it."

Taiga laughed nervously. "I just wanted to make an entrance... I could feel the tense atmosphere from outside, so I figured I could break it." Obviously she heard something, but judging from her action, it was nothing too bad.

"Good morning." Saber spoke from behind Taiga, who immediately screeched and jumped away from her. Much like Rin, Saber enjoyed sleeping in. Unlike Rin, Saber did not wake up acting like a zombie.

Shirou began to laugh heartily, losing himself to the amusement for a few moments. It was too ridiculous, Fuji-nee having scared himself, Rin, and Sakura, then getting absolutely frightened in turn, courtesy of Saber. The mischievous twinkle in Saber's eyes reminded him that master and servant had a form of telepathic communication, if what Rin said was right. Pausing on that thought, Shirou glanced at Rin, noting the satisfied smirk on her face. Even Sakura seemed in on it, giggling at Taiga's fright.

Taiga turned red from both embarrassment at having been surprised in front of her three 'younger siblings', and mock-glared at Saber. "Dont do that! Jeez, maybe you should wear a bell."

Saber, without changing facial expressions, merely glanced at Taiga. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Rin began laughing outright now, especially when Taiga huffed and looked away.

Finally, after her laughter ended, Rin decided to tease Taiga a bit more. "Arent you at least going to shut the door?"

Shirou shook his head, still amused. "No, no, leave it open, the fresh air will do this place some good." He enjoyed the outside air, after all.

Taiga ignored Rin and Shirou, merely sitting down, right next to Saber, both their plates already made. The two were predictable when it came to food. Saber usually woke up when she smelled food, though Shirou idly noted that Rin told him Servants needed neither food nor rest, while Taiga knew exactly what time he finished cooking, somehow. It would have been creepy, if it wasnt such a compliment to his cooking.

Remembering that Servants had a telepathic link with their Masters, Shirou got a stupid, immature idea.

 _'fuck you, Archer.'_

Sure, it probably wouldnt work with the contract being severed, but the idea of Archer going about his business and suddenly hearing that was priceless.

Sure enough, the six people at the Emiya residence began to go into their daily routine, enjoying the day, for when night came, they knew it would be time to fight again.

* * *

"What the fuck?" Archer said as he woke up, to the mental sound of his younger self. Of all the asinine uses of the telepathy... wait a moment, how the hell did it even work with a severed contract? Granted, the existence of two souls with the exact same base template in such a small area bent some of the normal rules, but this had never happened before. Then again, he usually killed his younger self, unless the bastard was a Dead Apostle Ancestor/True Magician/Magical Boy. He wished he could have some brain bleach for that last one, but still. His younger self was usually much weaker, or did not resort to such juvenile acts.

"Mmh... go back to sleep." Oh dear god someone was next to him. Apparently it WAS possible for Servants to get drunk, or maybe it was his special circumstance, but he managed it. On the bright side, he did not have a hangover, which was impressive considering he could remember nothing of the previous night, after visiting the bar. He probably would have taken this war more seriously, had he not taken to using Grail Wars as a vacation of sorts, whenever he could at least. Usually whenever Shirou summoned him, if he was feeling particularly merciful, he would just sever the contract then spend his time doing the things he never managed to do in life. Drinking, playing as a literal superhero, anything really. After he had learned how hopeless his situation really was, he stopped caring, and took nothing seriously. Sure, he still tried to get out of his contract, but that was just stubbornness on his part. He knew it would fail, so he used these Grail Wars as temporary vacations, which often worked out in hilarious ways. He didnt even want to think about when Shirou had summoned Ishkander. That was one of the most hilarious/horrifying wars he had ever experienced, especially when Ishkander somehow managed to pass on his idea of Conquest onto Shirou, who was convinced the best way to save people was to lead them. It might not have been so bad had he not managed to convince Rin to join him.

The woman beside him was short, with almost purple hair. Almost immediately he mistook her for Sakura, but that was proven wrong with her face. He recognized her, having been summoned by her a few times in the past, usually ending up with him killing Kirei. Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Her story was nowhere near as sad as Sakura's, but she was a lonely soul, the closest thing she had to a friend being Kirei Kotomine, which was... telling. He remembered his younger self ending up with her a few times, and even himself, but that did not excuse this. Still... this was a vacation, right? Why not enjoy it? Not like he would experience any negative effects from it. He already had to kill everyone he cared about, multiple times. His father, when he learned that his life could end the world, practically jumped on Shirou's sword, so that did not horrify him so much. The look on Rin's/Illya's/Sakura's faces... when they found their lover/friend/brother was the one who killed them... it was horrifying. He would rather be summoned by Zouken or Kirei any day. Speaking of, he should probably go deal with at least Zouken. Once he found out how, he made it a point to kill the bastard every time.

He went to get up, only to find Bazett snuggling into him, idly noting that she was missing an arm. It wasnt too rare that Lancer managed to save Bazett's life without Kirei noticing, so that mustve been what happened. He should be out killing Zouken or Kirei, but... He glanced at the woman beside him.

Well, they could wait a few days, right? After all, this version of his past self was strong. He could deal with it. No doubt Shirou would be gaining some of Archer's memories. To gain them all wouldve taken years, considering his unnaturally long existence. He could not remember much of his life, only some of the most detailed aspects popping up, such as him summoning Saber, winning, and being rather weak until five years after the war, when he started to be a 'Hero'.

Unknown to Archer, when two souls of the same base template come into contact with each other, the reaction is not solely one way. It was not his age that contributed to his less caring personality, but his adventures in alternate worlds where he interacted with a past version of himself which was not distorted. It happened rarely, only five times so far, but it was enough for him to slowly develop more... human traits. It did not help that he eventually realized that his actions in each world were truly pointless. After all, no matter what he did, Gaia died, and either Humanity died off with it, or they survived on it, only to invite the wrath of the Types. He often pondered what all celestial bodies had Ultimate Ones, because if the Sun did... Dear god that would be terrifying.

* * *

 **AN** : This chapter was shorter than my last few, and with a bit more humor, but I decided to expand on whats going on in the background, rather than focusing on Shirou as I have been. Granted, its also because until now not much was different overall from the canon war, only small differences, which were all addressed to at least some extent.

Now, because there seems to still be some... confusion regarding Shirou and his reinforcement. I would say Shirou is around C rank, all around (note, this is not exact, and if necessary, I will create a stat sheet for him to make it absolutely clear), except for Mana, which is is still 1/10th of E, as E rank is 10x average human capacity, or so Ive been told. It makes sense when you consider the math, and that Servants are capable of reacting to bullets, and for them to be capable of casually flipping cars, or smashing through buildings. Servants are ridiculous, yes. Shirou's base parameters are pretty lackluster for a good servant, but for a human they are beyond anything imaginable. His Reinforcement generally doubles whatever he reinforces, but thats when he focuses solely on a single thing. If he tried enhancing his body entirely (Endurance, strength and speed), it would probably be around 1.5x rather than 2x. If you guys really want a stat sheet so this can be represented easier, then I will do so. I know how confusing it can get.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN** : It appears people are confused at the alliance between Kirei and Caster... which is surprising, mostly because it almost seems like you expect them to function as allies in the same manner that Rin and Shirou did in UBW... Im not sure whether to be baffled or amused at the idea of those two getting along to that degree. Take the two personalities into account and think on their reasonings. Im not spelling everything out for you, remember what Caster's goal is, and what Kirei's goal is.

Archer has indeed seen some shit. Tempted to make a one shot series about said shit, but that might be for later.

Oh, and yes, I did kind of forget about Kirei's father dying in the church... oops. And yes, that bike would totally be illegal. I cant imagine him knowing/caring, since his focus, even in cannon, was more about saving lives than obeying the law.

Anyone else think the picture of Shirou dual-wielding Nine Lives would be his most badass picture? I certainly do.

This chapter took so long because Im still unsure what to do about Zouken. I really want to explore his character, especially since I realized how... similar Zolgen Makiri was to Shirou Emiya. Seriously, the potential there is incredible.

Also, a thank you to souvikkundu0017 for a very long list of Noble Phantasms.

* * *

Kirei was impressed with the mystic codes that Caster brought him, as part of the alliance. Apparently, the Mystic Codes were connected directly to the Grail's power source, which supported the Servants. With this, he was capable of passing for a pseudo-servant, so long as the Grail had power. The problem was that this linked him directly with Angra Mainyu, who was trying to feed him hatred, and use him as a conduit. Unfortunately for Angra Mainyu, as much as Kirei wanted to see suffering, hatred was something he did not feel. It was like trying to pass jello off as yogurt. It simply did not work that way.

As a bonus, Kirei now had Angra Mainyu's voice inside his head, telling him secrets he would not have known otherwise. Some of them were horrifying, while others were incredible. It proved that Caster was incredible, as his connection to Angra Mainyu was so direct it was like having his voice over his shoulder. How Caster managed it was something he did not understand, but it worked well. The voice told him so much information he was glad to learn about, particularly when it came to Shirou Emiya. The boy was interesting, and his past was so ironic, his birth being the most ironic event Kirei had ever witnessed, so similar to his own, yet opposite. He could use that against Shirou, so that Angra Mainyu could be birthed into the world, which was Kirei's desire.

Gilgamesh had warned him of the thing's attempts to override his common sense, but Kirei proclaimed he could control it. He was wrong, and he knew it. He simply did not care. Gilgamesh did not care too much either, wanting his ideal world back. Kirei wanted to laugh at Gilgamesh's arrogance. There were none left alive who could withstand Angra Mainyu's Mud. He was too strong, and Kirei was special because of his lack of humanity, which had allowed him to be reborn in the mud the first time. He would not get a second time. No, when Angra Mainyu fully manifested, he would die like all humans. He did not mind.

Caster would likely be horrified once she understood what she had done, connecting Kirei to Angra Mainyu, thus making Kirei his avatar. With Angra Mainyu's approval of Kirei, he forced enough prana into the mystic codes that Kirei's attributes were boosted to that of a Saber class. With his power skyrocketed, Kirei faced a single problem. Shirou Emiya. He could not kill Shirou Emiya, if he wanted his plans to work. However, he could also not break the alliance with Caster. Not yet, at least. He knew just as she did, one of them would be dead by the end of the war. Somehow, Kirei figured it would be both of them.

Either way, he need to make it look like he was trying... or that he was placing events in motion to make Shirou die on his own. Yes, that could work. Shirou Emiya had to be kept alive, but he could always convince a certain false-human to attack Shirou, thus killing herself. It would kill two birds with one stone. Berserker would vanish, and he would appear to be doing something. He had to dispose of Caster afterwards, however, as she would likely betray him while Shirou lived. She had no idea that she would have been better off allying with the boy, rather than him. Oh well, it was her problem. He let out a laugh at that. Her death would be so much more amusing if he only knew who her master was. She was obviously attached to whoever it was, and it would be oh so easy to cause an accident, if he knew who it was. Considering how much Caster abused the rules of the Grail war, he wondered it she was perhaps her own master.

He took a sip of Tabasco Sauce, smiling at the feeling of his tongue meeting fire. Delicious.

* * *

Illya did not like her new allies. She tolerated them and their plans, yes, but she did not enjoy their presence. That being said, while the servant was beautiful, elegant, and very dangerous, the master was disgusting. His skin wrinkled, with his veins showing and his hair a gray-white color. All in all, the man was only useful because of his servant. His bounded fields were incredible, however. To create a bounded field which leeched prana from anyone inside, as well as creating a compulsion to stay inside, AND an enhanced air pressure barrier, which made going through the field once active similar to trying to crawl through mud, was absolutely ingenious. He would be an incredible trap-maker for this war.

That was why she had him set up several 'trap' fields around her estate. It was a simple job, and he knew better than to betray her so early. If anything, he should be worried about her betraying him, yet he seemed at ease around her, as if he could not die. She was tempted to ask him about it, but Magi never revealed the secrets of their mysteries to each other. If she asked, it could be seen as an insult to him, making him lash out. She may not like the man, but he was useful. She didnt really need him, but he had his uses. The two rarely talked, but so far the man seemed eternally happy, as if he had some big joke constantly on his mind.

The strangest thing about this man was that he seemed to have more prana than ever her. That should be impossible, but then... her family was full of idiots, so it did not come as a surprise that a genuine human could reach such ridiculous levels of power. With his bounded fields being similar to Territory Creation, and his prana capacity, Illya wondered if he was actually Caster in disguise.

She shook her head. A boy with the power of a Caster, a boy with the power of Saber, a homunculus created to have incredible amounts of prana... were there any NORMAL masters in this war? Idly, she noticed the strange, robed man she passed grow a smirk. She had left her partner at home, but Berserker was right next to her, in astral form.

* * *

"I dont think you understand Shirou." Rin sighed, leaning back. "Saber, maybe you can explain better."

Saber nodded. "Of course. Shirou, think of it this way, each master and servant pair saw your battle with Berserker, the number of familiars around the area makes that assured. They know how dangerous you are."

"That doesnt matter. They also saw you arrive to help me, so they will suspect we are teamed up. You going out alone will make them think you an easy target." Shirou countered.

"Anyone who suspects me as easy will be surprised." Saber exclaimed.

Shirou had to stop himself from laughing at the play on words, which Saber probably did not notice. Sakura, however, giggled, while Rin was too busy trying to figure out how to convince Shirou to not follow them on patrol. "Maybe so, but can you stop two servants at once? Itd be safer if I go. Just hear me out, with Saber being next to Sakura, and me being next to Rin, everyone is protected, and Rin can use a command seal if we get into any trouble."

Rin shook her head. "You dont get it. Each master is going to be wary of you, and thus, they wont come out if they see both you and Saber. Two beings able to repel Berserker, who everyone now knows is Heracles... well, no one would be stupid enough to attack us, which means this would turn into a waiting game. It would be best if Saber and myself go alone. And yes, if we need you we will call you." Rin rolled her eyes, already knowing what Shirou would say.

"I still dont like it, but... I guess Ill stay. If you sense a servant even close to you, call me." Somehow, she knew he would ask that. She wondered if he knew that she wouldnt obey it anyway.

"Alright, now that thats settled, I should be back before midnight. Come on Saber."

Sakura and Shirou stayed silent for a while, until Rin and Saber left. "Why doe she do that?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "She hates relying on others. She is still used to people disappearing on her if she leaves them in danger, even a slight bit. She even got Ayako-san to take a vacation just so she would avoid the war."

Shirou shook his head. "She should have more faith in us."

Sakura's smile faded. "It isnt us she lacks faith in, Senpai."

Shirou processed what she said, and both remained silent for a while. "Oh, that reminds me, I need to check out the weather for Fuji-nee." Shirou turned the TV on, changing the channel to the news.

"-unknown gas. Public officials suggest that pedestrians avoid the area, as all afflicted seem to be dead, leaving this to be an absolutely fatal gas."

"Must be talking about one of the Servants feeding off of people. Despicable." Shirou scowled, something Sakura had never seen before.

"People will do anything for a single wish..." Sakura glanced at the ceiling for a moment.

"Maybe... What would you wish for, Sakura?" Shirou turned to look her in the eyes, leaving Sakura to blush.

She was about to answer when she heard a voice **'I would wish Rin, Saber, and everyone in this city dead, leaving me alone with you'** She paled, knowing exactly where the voice had come from. "Sorry Senpai, Im not feeling well. Ill head to bed now." She was rushed in her movements, causing Shirou to worry.

He did not move though. He probably went too far, asking her what her wish would have been. It could be personal, and why she always seemed so hollow...

After hearing what the weather would be tomorrow, he called Taiga, and gave her the information. A few minutes later, he was in his workshop, hoping to test out something.

 _"I am the bone of my sword.  
Born by fire, built of steel  
I have made many weapons  
Driven by Fear, taught by Will"  
_

He stopped. He knew the name, he knew some of the words, but some... were out of his reach. He called to them, but they would not yet come. Hell, he was only half sure the words he spoke were even the true words. He needed to figure them out, before he got into anymore fights. He heard his phone ring, and immediately picked it up. "Hello."

"Shirou, road by the church, NOW!" He expected many things, not the panting voice of Rin.

Without even a goodbye, Shirou hung up the phone. In a few seconds, he was on his way, reinforcing the motorcycle to move even faster than usual, reaching the church in record time.

A man in golden armor was looking down on the area, from the roof of the church. He merely sighed before vanishing, no doubt going into astral form. That did not matter to Shirou though. What mattered to him was the two one the ground, Saber and Rin. Rin was unconscious, blood all over her chest, as well as several holes in her shirt, one right where the blood had come from. Saber was on one knee, panting.

Shirou hopped off the bike, still in motion, landing right next to Saber and Rin, as the bike parked itself by leaning on the wall, not that he cared if it scratched the vehicle at the moment. "What happened?"

"We were attacked, come here, quick. Project the most natural feeling thing you can, we need to hurry." Saber spoke, staring at Rin's bloodied form. More specifically the hole in her chest.

Shirou paled at that. It was right above her heart. "Shit! What will projection do here?"

"Just do it!" Saber snapped. This was not the time.

Shirou nodded solemnly, projecting without thinking. Except... it linked closer to his Tracing than projecting.

A sheathe appeared before him, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. Gold and blue in color, the sheathe was extravagant. He recognized it, even without his Structural Analysis, which told him enough about it. Avalon.

Shirou immediately placed it on top of Rin, before Saber grabbed it and _thrust_ it into the girl, with a golden light. Shirou recognized that light all too well.

"So thats what it was..." Shirou mumbled to himself, before snapping out of it. "We need to get her home. An injury like that... She needs to rest." Saber nodded. Shirou glanced at the two for a moment, before glancing at the church. "You take her home, make sure Sakura is alright, Ill head back when Im done investigating this area." Saber normally would have protested his decision to check out the church, but with her master close to death, she had no choice in the matter.

As the two left, Saber placing her in front of her on the bike, Shirou descended into the pits of the church. As he entered, he traced his favorite weapon in each hand, which made walking through doors a bit harder, but that was not the point. This place felt... off.

Aside from the atmosphere, he could not understand why. The entire floor seemed... normal. A bit dark and creepy, but nothing out of place for a church this time of night. Shirou released the weapons back into prana, before he glanced around him. This place was strange. He glanced around him. There was a smell here, reminding him of Gold. He frowned. There was another smell, but it was... blank. Not hollow, like Sakura, but... as if there was a spot where nothing existed. It was quite confusing, but he knew it was important.

Filing that away for later, Shirou descended into the lower floor, ignoring the locked door by kicking it down. As he walked down the stairs, he had to lean against the wall to prevent himself from falling over. Good god the _smell._ He could not describe the unadulterated horror that smell brought about. It was the smell of the concept of Drain. He smelled something similar when he first went into that bounded field, but now was so much worse. There was a stench of decay, too, but he did not want to think about that.

Then he saw it. The bodies. Dear god they were less human than skeleton, flesh barely clinging to their bones. All of them alive, but unable to move. There was only a single body which was not decayed into horror. A little white haired girl. Oh god... She had a hole where her heart should be, and he knew exactly who she was. The same little girl who had summoned Berserker.

One glance around told Shirou what he needed to do. Summoning a basic sword into his hands, Shirou decapitated each of the still-living-horrors, before he summoned another, less mundane blade. A simple mystic code that Rin had created. It wasnt a very special weapon, just allowed him to spit out some fire through it's end.

As he left the building, Shirou noted that the smell of fire was far less repulsive than anything he smelled in that church.

* * *

"How is she?" Shirou's voice was far harsher than he intend. He did not look too well either, his face being pale, and his eyes being very familiar to Saber.

"She will live, but it would be best to let her sleep until morning." Saber spoke, still winded from her battle, since Rin's prana was drained.

"What happened." Saber could not recall the last time someone used that tone of voice, that 'question-which-is-a-demand' tone, with her. Still, seeing the situation, her pride was not important right now.

"We were ambushed by a servant and a human, but... The human, he was supposed to be the mediator of the war, and the servant..." Saber sighed. "The servant was a survivor of the last Grail War." Shirou did not know the specifics of the Grail War, so he did not question how a servant was still alive. "Rin seemed to know who the human was, and asked him why he was doing this, but he never answered. He moved faster than even Lancer, shoving his hand, and what looked like crystal, into her chest. I dont know much about magecraft, but Rin will likely know when she wakes up."

Shirou frowned. "You were stalled by a single servant?"

"It was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes." Saber spoke evenly.

Shirou paused. Rin had mentioned the legend of the hero affecting their power as a servant. A hero as well known as Gilgamesh... Dear god. If Age had anything to do with it, Gilgamesh was more of a monster than Saber, or even Heracles. "I see... For now, rest. Ill stay awake and make sure nothing happens. We can discuss everything tomorrow."

"I should stand guard, you need sleep, I do not." Saber pointed out.

"No. I wont be able to sleep tonight." Shirou's voice sounded broken, as if something had twisted his very soul. He did not want to see those... things again. If he slept, he would.

Saber paused, recognizing the look in Shirou's eyes. So similar to the eyes of her own knights when they saw their first real battle... Ah. "Very well, I shall entrust this to you. However, I must ask... did you know you had Avalon inside you?"

Shirou shook his head. "No, but it makes sense now. No more discussion tonight, please, just... just rest for now." Whatever Shirou had seen had altered him in some way. Saber nodded, still worried over her Master, but also worried about her Master's friend.

* * *

Illya's partner grinned at Berserker, his new servant. Oh yes, this would work wonderfully. Normally, supplying a second servant would drain the master beyond their limits, but with the prana he had... acquired, it was nothing to him. He made sure of that. He was glad Berserker wanted revenge on the murderer of his master, and that he had been close by at the time. Berserker was... strange. He seemed to be conscious, despite his Mad Enhancement. Not that he knew how to remove it, but Berserker seemed to be able to be patient, waiting for his new master's orders. Usually, berserker would just kill the target, ignoring his master's orders, yet...

Well. It wasnt important to him. He did not know how Berserker, or the grail for that matter, functioned, he just knew it was a wall of power, and that it was now his. Anything beyond that was pointless. Besides, his goal was not even the Grail, though it would be nice. He wanted Shirou Emiya dead. More than that, he wanted Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou to die with him. Yes, that would please him. After that... well, he would not mind gaining more power. He had plenty of magic circuits now, thanks to his research and Binding, as well as some... unknowing volunteers. All it took was time, and now he had plenty of that. Even so, power was always welcome. After all, who would deny more power?

The man laughed aloud, his two servants behind him. He glanced at the mid-day sun and smiled. "Its time. Lets go, Berserker." The beast roared. "Rider." The blindfolded woman nodded. He idly noted she still hated him. He did not care.

Shinji Matou finally had power. That was all that mattered to him.

* * *

 **AN** : Ive already said my chapters will be slower, but this weekend was... hectic for me. Apologies for that. Its been pretty bad, and free time is hard to come by. So sorry for the length, or lack thereof, of this chapter. Im disappointed in myself, but Ill make it up somehow.

Anyway, judging from the reviews Ive received so far, I feel this is going to be a VERY important message to all of you.

 **DONT TAKE THINGS AT FACE VALUE  
** Seriously. I refuse to reveal everything right now, as any writer should. I dont recall Fate/Stay Night mentioning Sakura's horrible origins until Heaven's Feel, or Zero. Even then, its not explained to its full extent. Everything I write is meant to make you think about the situation.

While you read, keep this in mind. Every scene is meant to be from a single person's point of view. This is usually obvious, but still. That means that even though one character may appear in a scene, not all their thoughts will be seen. That being said, a lot of things have already happened in the background. No serious fights yet though, only Kirei retreating from Berserker, and Berserker allying with Shinji, which are already discussed in the chapter above, so... most thing should make sense in time. Yes, I make mistakes, no, not every confusing portion of this story is a mistake.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN** : One rant and a few reviews. Neat. Sorry about the delay guys, my internet company decided to cancel my service then charge me three times the normal price, so I had to switch, then I got horribly sick. Needless to say, not been a good week.

Hunter XZ: Yes, Illya is dead. No coming back for her. Why? Well it makes sense in the long run. She is the most threatening master to Kirei, and he wanted to eliminate a potential threat, for... reasons explained in the next chapter.

Sanguinis13: Yes, its a problem for me. I utterly hate apostrophes for a reason I cant explain, or at least apostrophes in contractions. Its so ingrained in me at this point it might as well be instinctual. Unless I get a beta-reader, I doubt that will change.

Polarpwnage: Because you reviewed thrice, I will answer all three at once. Shirou's circumstances provided his former healing, not Avalon. That being said, Shirou has no idea about his origin at this point, almost no one does, maybe three do. As for Saber's agelessness... it says it clearly on the Avalon Page. Next, Ive already stated Shirou is not a normal human, repeatedly. He wasnt in any of the routes, and he CERTAINLY isnt here, even if for different reasons. And finally, yes. Berserker cannot die by the same ATTACK twice. By the same weapon... well it gets a bit muddled, but the general concept is that Godhand treats the weapon itself and the weapon's Noble Phantasm as two different things. Whether this would work for Nine Lives in canon is unknown, mostly because its Noble Phantasm is basically using the weapon at insanely high speeds, rather than something as special as Excaliblast. Frankly, I was taking a lot of liberties with it, which may offend some people but... I dont really care. If someone is going to stop reading because such a thing, I would not stop them, even if I could.

Now that reviews are done, lets get onto the real A/N.

Shinji... Ive always disliked how everyone seems to make him useless and unimportant, yet he has the perfect opportunity to become a true villain... although... Well thats not important right now. Anyway Shinji has the perfect chance to become a good antagonist here, and I intend to see it through, although some of you may hate me for what Im going to do, while some may love it. Who knows?

My main point is, I dont like introducing a character with a grudge like Shinji without having him become important in some way. Giving him worms seemed to be the perfect way to go about that, and Im surprised more people dont do it.

That said, according to a good friend who knows more about the Nasuverse than I do... I may have jumped the gun by implanting Illya's heart into Rin. Mostly because said heart is from a body which was 70% magic circuits, as well as part of the lesser grail. That said, I have amended my plans because of this, and am now thoroughly excited for future chapters.

Of course, my biggest worry with this is NOT the facts of the Nasuverse. I try to make as much as I can correct, but many of the 'rules' are murky in certain subjects, and Im not entirely sure what Shirou's special circumstances would do for him in canon, so I cant get everything perfect. My real worry is characterization. So far, Ive had Shirou be quite a bit different from his canon self... or selves, I suppose. Im not too sure on the other characters, but thats what worries me. We can do without absolute assurance that this fic is possible in its entirety in Nasuverse Canon, but there are far too many fanfics where characters are utterly bastardized or sainted for no reason, or just otherwise not _them._ Especially in Shirou's case. That being said, some of those ARE good, but it gets annoying, doesnt it? To see the generally idealistic and optimistic, but not stupid, Shirou turn into the cynical, paranoid, and honestly depressing person we see in many fanfics. As for those who genuinely see Shirou as stupid... he really isnt. The whole "people die when they are killed" line makes sense in context, as do any of his statements. His actions are less of stupidity and more of not caring for much else but saving/helping people. Well, until one of his lovers knocks it out of him, depending on the route.

Wow I mentioned a rant, and made one of my own. My bad. ON WITH THE SHOW!

* * *

There were many things that could said about Rin Tohsaka. She was a genius. She was a magus. She was a tsundere. She tended to have a sense of honor. She had a crush on Shirou Emiya. However, of the many things that could describe her, 'morning person' was not one of them. That was why she was rather shocked when she woke up calmly, fully aware already, even though normally it took her almost half an hour to be aware of her own actions.

It was especially strange when she considered that she had her own heart ripped out, then replaced with another, less human, heart. The fact that she did not even feel pain from this was even more frightening. Honestly, if she wasnt sure she was in one of Shirou's spare rooms, she would have believed she had died. No matter how much she liked Shirou, she preferred her own house's size and shape. The empty feeling would go away if there were more people than just her living there.

In any case, she felt a strange sensation emanating from her chest, where her heart should have been. This new heart, for whatever reason, had been implanted into her by Kirei. She was unsure how she survived that, let alone how the new heart bonded to her fast enough for her to survive the procedure, but that was not important. What WAS important was that she detected an item inside of her, slowly fading away. Even so, it was the exact item that she had sensed inside of Shirou, only less powerful, and yet with more energy in it.

She blinked, staring at the ceiling for a moment. This was... odd. She did not feel tired, but she should. Hell, she should feel absolutely dead to the world, for all the stress, both physical and mental, that had been caused last night. Kirei's revelation of who really killed her father, as well as set up her mother's suffering... Well, Rin was not happy, nor at ease. To put it bluntly, she had a panic attack. She didnt exactly like Kirei, but she trusted him, at least. To learn that he had killed her father and caused her mother's descent into madness... It was horrifying. Somehow, though, she knew from the start. Not consciously, but subconsciously. Perhaps that was why she disliked him so much.

In her mind, no one was in a better position to kill him than Kirei. It made sense, even as a child, and yet... Kirei seemed so different after the war, like it was something that freed his heart. It was, just... not in the way she believed. He was kinder after the war, not as cold. He seemed to genuinely enjoy life, albeit in a strange manner. To learn of what he had done... If anyone had seen her at that moment, they would not have recognized her. The hopelessness written on her face, as well as the horror...

She shook her head, standing up and stretching. She was still in her bloody clothes, but that was to be expected. Shirou was too much of a gentleman to change her clothes, Saber needed just as much rest as her after that, and Sakura probably fell asleep before she called Shirou. Much like her sister, Sakura woke up for nothing.

Still, the soreness that should have been present was absent, which made Rin curious as to how strong whatever Shirou had used was. Sure, it healed his cut almost immediately, but what was a simple cut compared to a damaged heart? Oh dear god that was ridiculous. He had literally healed her heart. Well, it was her's now, at least. The strange crystaline structures she had seen in the heart right before Kirei implanted it were odd, but she did not feel bad. In fact... she felt rather good. Her prana was back to its maximum capacity... no. It was higher. She was unsure how, but she knew it related to the heart. The question remained why Kirei would implant something in her that would give her MORE power? Granted, Kirei had proven himself to be stronger, faster, and all around better in every way except genuine magecraft, but still. To give an enemy more power... Kirei had something planned. The heart was human only in shape, which was why it was so easy to integrate into her body, even though she doubted Kirei carefully selected the heart by blood type.

At the same time, her heart felt... wrong. Not physically. Not even magically, the thing was practically made of magic circuits. Even so, it felt off, like watching blood seep into water, turning it red, yet keeping the consistency of water. An odd metaphor, but it fit the strange feeling that the heart gave off. In any case, it wasnt affecting her. It just felt weird.

At any rate, she needed to get cleaned and dressed, then discuss what happened with Shirou, who was no doubt worried over last night, and Sakura, who probably had no idea how bad it had been, if she knew at all. Saber knew most of it, but her attention had been on the Golden King, not Rin and Kirei.

After her quick shower, she trudged to the living room. Everything was in order, and she was the first to wake up. Odd, considering Shirou's routine, and Sakura's tendency to make breakfast. She may sleep as heavy as Rin, but that girl was an early bird. Saber was likely also still sleeping, although Rin was curious as to why Saber decided to not sleep with her tonight, as she usually did. It was embarrassing at first, but trying to convince Saber not to was like trying to explain the concept of humility to Gilgamesh. If Rin had to guess, Saber was worried about aggravating her wounds.

In any case, at least one other person was up. The door leading to the dojo was unlocked, which wasnt too surprising. Shirou preferred to train early in the morning to wake up, even though he was a far lighter sleeper than Sakura, Saber, or Rin. Personally, Rin figured he just enjoyed the feeling, much like she enjoyed her magecraft.

She calmly walked through the door, smiling at the sense of family that she felt from the bounded field, as well as the traditional nature of the home. She always felt at peace when she went through the door. Rin's magic sensory manifested as a 'sense' in the empathic way. She did not literally feel the bounded field, but she sensed the emotion most connected with it. In this case, it had been Kiritsugu's love for Shirou. Unlike her own, it was not a cold feeling, but a warm embrace.

She felt her heart twitch a bit, but ignored it. She would have to research about it later on. She doubted she was the first person that had a heart implanted in them, even if it was such a strange heart. It was likely a side effect from the procedure, rudimentary as it was. She should, by all rights, have died, yet somehow she lived on. She wondered if that line about people dying when they were killed was coming back to haunt her.

She shook her head. As enjoyable as the feeling from the Bounded Field was, she needed to find Shirou, or Saber, depending on who was in the dojo. She had seen Saber sneak into the dojo once, not that she had to, since no one would have minded her using it. Even so, Saber had her pride as a King, which Rin, oddly enough, understood.

As she walked into the dojo, she was unsurprised to find Shirou training. She WAS, however, surprised to see him lifting twice his usual weights, sweating like he had just walked through a burning building, and shirtless, as he usually was in training. However, the true shock came from his eyes. Usually they held a soft expression, wide and uncrinkled. Now... his eyes looked absolutely livid, as if he was pissed at something. She hoped it was not her. "S-Shirou?" Honestly the look on his face frightened her more than Kirei did. Seeing her friend in such a state...

Shirou looked back at her, stopping mid lift, an incredible feat by itself. Since Shirou was so much stronger than normal humans, training by simply doing push ups or other body-only exercises did not work well. He could end up doing them all day and receive almost no benefits from them. Instead, he purchased industrial metal, using Alteration to reshape them into the perfect shapes for lifting. It worked out pretty well, for the most part, though eventually he found them too light and was forced to add more to the Altered-Metal. Shirou's skill with Alteration was actually rather good, compared to his reinforcement. Shirou could not only reshape objects, but resize it, though that took constant concentration. Thankfully, all he needed for the exercises he did was to reshape the metal, not resize it. The dojo was big enough, so he had enough room to lift the overly large metal, although he had to be careful when setting it down.

"Hey" His voice was cracked, a side effect of either dehydration or sleep deprivation. Probably both. "What are you doing up so early?"

Rin tried to smile, but seeing him in such a state, she only managed to grimace. "I felt a lot better today. Did you do something?"

Shirou laughed, though Rin had to flinch when it came out as a hollow chuckle. "Of course. I cant let you die on me like that." His voice turned soft towards the end, lowering enough in volume so that his dry throat managed to produce his normal voice, if only in a whisper.

"Shirou... Im sorry. I should have called as soon as Saber spotted that Gold man, but I was sure she could beat him. I didnt mean to make you worry like that" Rin tried to soothe his anger, though something told him it wasnt directed at her, but himself. Was he that worried about her? She had accepted her death long ago. To be a magus is to walk with death, after all. Yet... Shirou was not a magus, he was a magic user. He wanted to be a hero, and he treasured his loved ones more than anything, so maybe the chance of her death really HAD affected him that much...

"No, I understand. You couldnt have predicted that. From what I heard, the guy who attacked you was as capable as a servant, Saber said he moved faster than Lancer." Shirou sighed, running a hand through his hair, a habit he developed when he felt stressed, or annoyed. "While I wish I could have been there, I cant change that."

"Then why are you pushing yourself so hard?" Rin cried out. Most wouldnt have noticed the damage Shirou's current training had caused him. His ability to break human limits in terms of physical abilities aside, he was human. He could break. His bones were no doubt bruised, unused to this kind of extreme strain.

Shirou looked at her in the eyes, and for a moment, she saw a hollowed being, something that should not exist, but persisted anyway. "Because I could have saved them."

Rin was hesitant to ask, but it needed to be answered. "What happened last night Shirou? Who did you fail to save?"

Shirou's gaze seemed to fade away, as if he was staring at something a thousand yards away, the horror dripping from his voice. "Bodies... children. In the basement of the church. They were drained entirely, their bodies only surviving so they could produce more prana. I dont know for what. Worst of all, that little girl with Berserker... she had her heart ripped straight out of her chest, her expression frozen in fear and confusion. I failed them."

Rin's blood ran cold. Oddly enough, it was not from the horrors Shirou described. From what she knew, the white haired girl was the lesser Grail from the Einzbern family. A homunculus, which explained why the new heart worked for her. Some homunculus were created with body replacements in mind, allowing them to alter their own properties to fit with the body they were fixed to. In Rin's case, this meant her heart was functioning exactly as her old one.

The issue was the cost of making such a thing. It was enough that the Einzbern did it very rarely, usually only with Lesser Grails. This was due to the fact that, should the original Lesser Grail cease to function, the Grail War would never finish. To circumvent this, the Einzberns decided to force an adaptation effect onto the Lesser Grail Homunculus. While it cost quite a bit of money, it was worth it to prevent the Grail War from never finishing.

The real reason for Rin's horror was what happened to the lesser grail after the war ended. In general, the lesser grail tended to die, though Rin was not sure of what. Still, they reported feeling weakened each time a Servant died. Since at least one of the servants should have died by now, especially with all the action and dead master, Rin should be feeling weak, yet she only felt invigorated. She had survived what would have surely killed her otherwise, only to feel even stronger. Her ability to handle Prana now could probably even compare to a Servant, though not of Saber's level. If Rin was a prodigy, Saber was a fucking _monster._ Instead of natural circuits, Saber had a natural Core. The difference between a Circuit and a Core was similar to the difference between an assembly line and a factory. Even so, she felt as if she could never run out of prana now.

In any normal case, Rin would have been either excited for the incredible upgrade to her magic, or fearful of the future consequences. Then again, right now Shirou was in front of her, broken, tired, and drained. She often tried to play off her worry as a joke or around a playful insult, suggesting that she would hate to risk losing her favorite cook. For the most part, those close to her understood her habit, and did not mind it much.

In this specific case, Rin was more worried about Shirou than herself, mostly because any consequences that came from the heart would come much later, and Shirou's issue was in the current moment, not able to be put off in the same way. "Shirou... People die."

She had to flinch when Shirou's eyes sharpened into blades, matching her line of sight.

"Its a cold truth, and a hard one, but you cant save everyone. The best you can really do is save all you can, or all those you care directly for. No matter how kind the world may seem sometimes, this cold truth remains." How odd that she was now repeating something similar to what Kirei, the man who caused all this, had told her after her mother's death. "I cant sympathize with you on this. They were people I never knew, and never would have known. I dont understand your sympathy for them, and maybe that makes me a bad person, but I do know that you cant do anything in a state like this. How can you expect to save anyone if you keep getting caught up by things like this? I know it was bad Shirou, I dont know how bad, but bad enough to reduce you to this... Look what Im trying to say-"

Shirou interrupted her. "I understand, Rin." Rin glanced at him in surprise. He almost refused to call her anything but her last name, only doing so when under duress or in a very happy mood. Considering the circumstances fit neither of those... Well, he was stressed, but not immediate. This was a long term thing. "I know what you are trying to say, and your right. Those things couldnt have been saved by me anyway, their bodies... I cant imagine them being anything but vegetables, even if they had healed from such a state."

Rin sighed. For all her expertise in manipulating people, comforting was not something she could really do. Her only experience with comforting was when Kirei talked to her after her parents' funerals. Considering how fucked up Kirei was... "You should get cleaned up, so I can explain what happened last night. Sakura should be up soon too, and Saber with her." For whatever reason, Saber only slept with someone else nearby. According to Saber, it was so she could wake up to protect them. According to Rin, it was because for all her honor and power, Saber was a cuddler. Not that she would ever admit it.

Shirou lied on his back, staring at the ceiling for a minute. "You ever think what would have happened if things were different?"

Rin shrugged. "All the time. I cant say I regret anything though. Even those insane heroic stunts we pulled... they were pretty fun." She chuckled at the memory of certain events.

Shirou was silent for a good moment, and the two remained in silence.

"Well, I best see if Sakura and Saber woke up yet. You should go take a shower." Rin stood from her sitting position.

Shirou smiled halfheartedly, turning his head towards Rin. "Yeah, sure."

"Good, because you stink." The childish smirk on her face told Shirou that she was joking, although somehow he wondered whether or not he genuinely did. No one smelled good after a strenuous work out.

* * *

Sakura was not used to waking up late, having gotten used to both school and making breakfast. Even so, she was also used to waking up alone. She had never really had a sleepover, nevermind the idea of someone sleeping in the same bed as her. When she woke up to find Saber right next to her, hugging her close, Sakura had been rendered silent, confused, and embarrassed. Fortunately, Saber woke up shortly after and they both agreed to never speak of it again.

"So I see you two had fun." Sakura turned to Rin, having just entered the kitchen, her face flushing in embarrassment. The usual teasing smirk was on Rin's face. "I forgot to tell you shes a cuddler." Something told Sakura that Rin wouldnt have told her anyway.

"Master! I do not cuddle." Saber protested, not quite as embarrassed as Sakura, but considering her much larger pride, she defended herself even when Sakura did not.

"Oh, then you wont mind sleeping in the room apart from mine from now on, then?" Rin's grin turned into a devilish smirk, with Saber getting flustered. Sakura could not tell whether it was from mortification or annoyance.

"Master, I have to be at your side at all times, I only avoided your room last night so that you could rest." Saber tried to explain.

Unfortunately for the two, Rin was not someone who let an opportunity to tease someone go to waste. "Oh, certainly. But with you sleeping it makes it somewhat pointless, so that must mean there is another reason."

They all stopped when Shirou entered the room, his hair dripping wet, obviously having just come from the shower. How none of them noticed the water running was a question for later debate. "Good morning." His voice wasnt as broken, but it was obvious his mistreatment of his own body had not been completely healed yet, as minor as it was.

Sakura did not notice, while Rin and Saber noticed, but did not say anything. It was less that Sakura was ignorant to these kinds of things, and more that she had no idea what happened last night, so she merely assumed Shirou had gone overboard on his workout, or slept with his mouth open... in her defense, he did both of those things quite often. Rin had to admit he looked much livelier than before, whether because of the shower, or the talk they had, she had no idea.

Saber was the one most worried, actually. Unlike the other two, she recognized the signs of a mentally stressed person, someone who had seen their first vision of war. No, not a battle, but the horrors of war. Dead bodies werent the problem, it was the tortured and broken but still living prisoners. The sights of how horrible humans could be. Yes, death was a sad thing, but compared to the horrors that was the sight of those living but broken beings... Well. She had seen enough to know the man needed space, or comforting. That said, Saber had no idea how to comfort anyone. She was one of the kings who had never really related to their subjects.

"So, what all happened last night? All Saber told me was that you were attacked." Shirou sat at the table, next to Sakura, with Rin in front of him, and Saber at her side. Saber seemed oddly used to this sitting position for a European King, Rin noted. Perhaps it was the knowledge/body Servants naturally had.

Rin shook her head. "We were on patrol, mostly finished, and about to head back, when Saber saw this Gold Armored Man. I though she could take him down fast, but before she managed to even get close, Kirei appeared."

Shirou interrupted at Rin's pause. "Your guardian, the priest?"

Rin nodded, though she also gave Shirou an annoyed look for interrupting her. "Yeah, him." Her bitter tone did not make anyone feel better. "I cant remember much after that, but I remember him shoving his hand at me, with some kind of crystal." She was lying of course, as Kirei had spoken quite a bit while Saber had been distracted by the Gold Man, but she did not want to retell what he said. Somehow, Sakura was the one to see through her lies, though she said nothing, merely giving Rin a curious glance. At that moment, Sakura's eyes looked oddly... empty.

Shirou and Saber both seemed oblivious, though Rin had to wonder how Saber missed it. Shirou was a given. For all his perceptiveness, he was never really good at telling when she was lying, if she bothered to attempt to hide it. "After that, I woke up here, good as new. Better, even." She was not aware of what Shirou had done, specifically, but was aware that he had done SOMETHING, and that all those pains she had gotten used to, which were usually small ones, more discomforting than painful, were gone. It was refreshing, if nothing else.

Shirou's face was blank, while Sakura seemed to be a mix of revulsion and curiosity. Saber, having known all of this, was passive. If she had to guess, from Shirou's expression, he was thinking about something crazy. It was the exact same face he had made when planning out how to stop that high speed chase using monkeys. She shuddered at the memory. She might enjoy some of the antics she, Shirou, and Sakura had when they went 'heroing' as Taiga called it, but that was one incident she never wanted to see again.

Shirou turned to her suddenly, looking her dead in the eyes. Something was _wrong_ about that look. If looking into someone's eyes was like looking into a mirror, looking into his eyes right then was like looking into a cracked, but not quite broken, mirror. It was only when he spoke that Rin realized she had forgotten to breathe for that single moment. Suddenly, Shirou smiled, speaking once more. "Im glad your safe, Rin." Rin flushed, while she wondered whether this use of her first name would be permanent or not.

"Of course, if I left, your magecraft would become hopeless." Totally not true. While Shirou had no hope for formal magecraft, in terms of application, he was decent. In terms of combat, he was an absolute monster. Most magi these days were all about research, so combat was secondary to them. To Shirou, it was literally what he was designed for. An inhuman ability to grow past limitations, an origin based on weaponry, and a mind made for combat... She wouldnt be surprised if he became one of the most powerful beings on the planet in time, considering his age. Knowing Shirou's love for combat, challenges, and being a hero, the idiot would probably become an Executor, or Enforcer. She had never talked religion with Shirou so she had no idea if he was Christian or even religious at all. If he was, the church was going to become quite a bit scarier for magi.

Shirou just smiled, knowing quite well she was avoiding his gaze, as well as his true meaning. Although whether he knew why she was blushing or not was unknown to her. The boy could be terrifyingly intelligent at times, but he was rather dense, all things considered. She idly wondered whether or not it was part of his special condition...

"Well, I better finish getting ready for school. I forgot we go back today." Oh yes, they had a break, although it was rather short one. Rin recalled Kuzuki-sensei saying that training for the next two weeks was canceled, due to someone he knew requiring his help. He did not explain, and neither of his students asked him to. They got along, but stayed out of each other's business. Not because of distrust, but because Kuzuki seemed to prefer to keep his relationship with his students entirely professional, while Rin and Shirou had enough respect to not pry into the man's life. Personally, Rin found the man a bit creepy, but not nearly as bad as Kirei.

* * *

Saber was a quiet person by nature, outside of combat. She wasnt a normal King. While she had charisma and the general 'Kingly Aura' most rulers had, she was different on HOW she ruled. She listened, waited, and changed. A normal king spoke when they desired, only listened to those they deemed worthy, and disliked change. That being said, while she had lead her country, she never truly understood any of her countrymen, be it nobles, villagers, or knights.

Of course she was still perceptive, and quite intelligent. She had a different mindset than most, but she could read emotions rather well. She remembered what Rider had told her during the Fourth War, and how it changed her. She honestly was no longer sure about her wish. Her country had fallen, and her truest failure was not that. It was her inability to understand others. From a purely emotionless point of view, she should have been the absolute perfect leader. Strong, intelligent, charismatic, righteous, kind, and an absolute monster on the battlefield. However, in hindsight, it was exactly that which caused her inevitable fall. The differences that separated her from her Knights, from her country itself, were too great.

It was a hard thing for her to accept, but she had plenty of time to think on it. In any case, she had noticed Rin had a certain look in her eye when she looked towards Shirou, as if she wanted to say something but knew not the words. While one could mistake it for love, the look was not that. Well, that look was there too, but this was different. It was more... anxious, more worried.

Still, whatever her Master knew about her love interest was not her concern, unless she deemed it necessary to speak of it. Rin had promised to not force her to reveal her past, so in a way, Saber was doing the same. Rin may tease her, but in a way, that was nice. It made her feel more... human. Something she hadnt really felt for a long time. Perhaps since she had removed Caliburn from its resting place.

Sakura was apparently a 'love rival' to Rin, though they were as close as sisters, apparently. It was both odd and familiar. In her days, laws regarding marriage were rather undeveloped. Her kingdom was one that allowed such things as multiple partners, more because it wouldve been a headache to deal with than any agreement with the idea. She wasnt inherently opposed to it, mind you, but she didnt like it either. Possibly because most women back then were seen as little more than property, and thus had little say in the marriages. Her kingdom was special in that regard, giving women rights they had not had in the time. Some kingdoms had treated women... decently, she supposed, but tribes and smaller kingdoms certainly did not. It was weird, but it happened. Then again, her memories were a bit off, due to her incredibly long... could it be called a life? The time spent in Avalon? It was like a vague dream to her now, really, but some parts stood clear.

In any case, Saber found the two girls' infatuation with the boy to be all too amusing. She merely hoped it did not turn out as Lancelot and Guinevere had. Granted, none of them were royalty, so there was almost no chance of that. Unless of course it turned out Shirou was some lost prince or something, and that Sakura and Rin were genuine sisters. Bah, she needed to stop letting Taiga convince her to watch those silly soap operas. She did not like them that much, but they gave an interesting perspective on what people thought 'drama' was, these days. The Grail provided much information, but not much perspective. It was all from an emotionless point of view, pure knowledge, rather than experience.

But no, she certainly did not enjoy those soaps, no matter what Taiga said.

* * *

Sakura was far more perceptive than most would imagine. She appeared to be an eager to please polite, and cheerful girl, if a bit shy. Shirou and Rin knew her better, but they had not seen her in her most hopeless state, where she had been in the worm pit for hours at a time, her soul empty, and her mind filled with unimaginable pain. No, they knew who she wanted to be, but she couldnt be that person. That person was pure, innocent. She was worthless, dirty...

So it was no surprise she noticed the way Rin looked, but refused to ask anything about it. If it were a thousandth as bad as what she had to deal with, she would not want to burden her sister by asking of it. She knew all too well what kind of pain it could bring up. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She should try to be the person she wanted to be, for Senpai and Nee-san. After all, she couldnt do so much longer. Her Grandfather would soon recall her to the pit, and she was unsure if she could continue in this way... But if it was for them, she just might. That was who she was. The most selfless girl imaginable, who was also unimaginably selfish. A contradiction, in that she cared nothing for her own life, yet would sacrifice the whole of japan for her sister or senpai. Did that make her a bad person? No, she thought, that was the one thing about her that was not bad. After all, she was dirty, unclean, and rotten. How could she ever be anything but bad?

* * *

Short chapter, but this has been deleted on me twice, so Im a little frustrated. Now Im going to explain a few things that SHOULD clear everything up. If anyone asks a question Ive already answered, Im going to ignore them entirely. Its gotten ridiculous.

Angra Mainyu: Im unsure how sapient/sentient he is in canon, other than being pure hatred, but Im giving him sentience here, which should help explain a LOT. That being said, he is the embodiment of all evil. Evil is not necessarily smart. Especially pure evil. In the end, Angra Mainyu looks to the short term rather than long term, hence why he was trying to corrupt Kirei rather than manipulate him into being his servant. Angra Mainyu hates ALL humans, even Kirei, who can scarcely be called a human.

Illya's Heart: After talks with my friend, and my own mind reminding me that Illya was literally 70% magic circuits, Ive noticed Rin will now have a TON of prana at her disposal. Rather, a ton of circuits. My original plan was just to add drama to this, by putting both of Shirou's love interests/friends at risk from the grail directly, but after that realization, I decided to do more than just that.

Zelretch/Dimensions: Zelretch is the most powerful human in canon. There is no dispute in this. He will come into play much later. As for Dimensions... Okay, I suggest you all take a moment and think. The existence of parallel dimensions means that EVERYTHING can happen. That which cannot in one world, could in another. While that would make a hilariously simple explanation for Shirou's peculiar state, that is not it. Its just that quite a bit of people seem to misunderstand how ridiculous it is. This means there is a world where Shirou mastered all five true magics. There is one where he ascended to godhood by whatever means. One where he decided the best way to defeat Angra Mainyu was _eating him_. It doesnt even have to make sense with parallel dimensions, because each choice, no matter how stupid, is possible. The possibilities are LITERALLY limitless. None of that will be happening here, but I felt the need to explain it anyway.

Oh dear, I just used the fanfic name in a rant. That means its about time to stop. Well, one last thing. I would LOVE to see a fanfiction where Shirou is like Greed from FMA. Caring about himself and whatever he deems 'his'. Why? Itd be utterly hilarious. Seeing Shirou be possessive over all his friends/potential love interests, while remaining dense about emotions like he always is, its got the potential for an incredibly amusing fanfic. Just a thought/suggestion for anyone brave enough.

Man, half this chapter seems to be my attempt to explain/rant about things. Well, I was going to write a lot more, but work is a bitch.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN** : Well this was a reception I rather enjoyed. While I like the "Good job" reviews, certainly, I greatly prefer the longer more detailed reviews.

Rose Knight of Neptune: I dont think anyone liked Illya dying, even me. But, well... the Holy Grail War is not a nice place. Sorry to see a reader go, but we all have our preferences. I understand that better than most anyone, Id imagine.

Rotciv557: I wont lie, I actually dont know all that much about the Nasuverse, which is why I often seek counsel with my much more knowledgeable friend before I put anything too drastic into the story. So I may have made mistakes without a plan, but the overall idea fits into one of the 'gray areas' of the Nasuverse, where its unknown if it is possible in canon or not. That said, you are doing good, considering you guessed right about Shinji... partially. The other parts will be revealed in this chapter. I hope. Can never tell when Im going to stop, but anyway, yes Archer had the potential to save Illya, he probably could have even after her heart was ripped out, if Shirou hadnt burned her body, though that would depend on Archer's willingness to sacrifice hundreds. Oh, and Kirei isnt quite an avatar just yet. For now its more of... a champion. His body is enhanced, and he can directly communicate with Angra Mainyu, but no full possession yet. And how astute of you to guess my intent to make this the most chaotic Grail War possible, short of Zelretch intervening directly, or being summoned (His part in this story so far is mostly as a watcher, rather than someone who intervenes, even though that may not seem to be the case). Also great idea about Caster pulling one over on Kirei, and Im tempted to implement it. It would certainly add to the chaos...

ChaosEmperorNex: Yeah, I was trying to say he is the most powerful on the side of humanity, but it was late and I was tired, haha.

Voidblade6: I wish I could write such a thing, but Im both busy and unused to such things. Plus it would almost certainly be crack. May do a few 'omakes' about it, though.

Well, now that reviews are done, I have to admit, I was not expecting such love for Illya. I mean, I like her, but I did not expect so many people would dislike her dying enough to mention it. That, and the whole Zelretch being human thing... Ill admit to having fucked up there, but it wasnt part of the story, thankfully, just a note.

* * *

Shinji gladly sipped the wine before him, provided by the enemy of his enemy, who just so happened to be a trained Executor. Kirei Kotomine. If there was anyone who could help him with his intended target, it was this man. Shinji, after having the small amount of worms implanted into him, researched magecraft to an extreme extent. He learned a great deal, especially about culture and the relations between magi and the Church. For the most part, it was a mutual agreement to not attack the other, while co-operating during certain events, such as Dead Apostle Hunts. Even those were rare, however. Part of him greatly enjoyed the idea of spitting in the face of magus traditions by allying himself with a Catholic Priest, let alone an Executor.

He was unsure why Kirei offered him wine, considering he was a minor, but he did not mind. The worms took care of any potential poison in his body, after all, he had more than just Zouken's worms now. Yes, after many experiments, he had created his own familiars, which were far more symbiotic with him than his Grandfather's worms. It was just enough to nullify the negative effects of the Zouken-worms, but not enough to really set him at the same level as his grandfather. Even so, it allowed him to survive long enough to... _feast_. So he was thankful for them, no matter how uncomfortable they may have once been.

All this power was the result of his desire to gain what had been denied to him by his birth. Magecraft. In time, however, he decided he wanted to kill the man who ruined his life. That was exactly why Kirei Kotomine was glad to help him. Upon learning who Shinji's target was, Kirei gladly agreed to help him with his plan. It was a complicated and difficult plan, but it would work. Kirei agreed with him in that regard. It was too perfect to fail, really. What could he possibly miss, with his research, his intelligence, and his cunning? All it would take was some acting. Even that would be simple enough.

The real problem was that Shirou Emiya was far beyond human. Kirei had spoken to him about it, and Shinji had to admit, if he had not learned of Shirou's abilities, his plan would have been over the moment it started. Even that was easily rectified when Kirei offered to stall him long enough for the plan to be put into effect.

In actuality, Shinji acknowledged that Kirei had saved his life. Had they not met after Kirei implanted Illya's heart into Rin, he would have already attempted the plan, and it likely would have utterly failed. Shirou's capabilities were something Shinji had intended to use Berserker against, but upon learning the secrets Kirei told him of Shirou, he did not wish to risk it. If Shirou learned of those secrets, even one of them, he would become more dangerous than Berserker ever had been.

In any case, Kirei was as mysterious and dangerous as one could imagine. Even Shinji, blind as he was to Shirou's circumstances, could feel that simply by being in the same room as him. Shirou always felt inhuman, but in a good way. Kirei felt... too human. As if someone had managed to successfully create artificial life, only to forget to give it a personality, allowing the thing to adapt to a life of emotionless, only to later discover them. An oddly accurate assumption, but that was the feeling, that of a robot who learned of emotions only recently.

Even then, Shirou was usually relaxed, while Kirei was... relaxed, but in a much different way. Shirou's posture usually said that he trusted everyone so there was no reason to prepare for an attack. Kirei was simply ignoring the possibility, as if it were nothing to him. Shinji fully believed God himself could manifest before Kirei and he would not change his expression. The man lacked the ability to be surprised, he thought.

"So, we are in agreement for tonight then?" Shinji spoke cordially, something he figured would make him seem like more of an adult to Kirei, although he got the impression it only made the man see him as more amusing. Well, whatever worked.

Kirei nodded. "Tonight, at 8. I will have Shirou distracted, and you can begin your plan."

Shinji frowned. "And what of the Servant?"

Kirei chuckled, a horrifying sound that made the bugs under Shinji's skin crawl. "I have a solution for her as well, of course. Although should you actually manage to incapacitate Rin, the Servant should pose no problem. Indeed, she should very well be weakened enough that she will be completely useless for the duration of your plan."

Shinji nodded, wondering how the priest managed to sound both reassuring and insulting at the same time. It was probably a special skill, derived from being a priest. "I see. And you are sure it will work?"

Kirei's face morphed into an emotionless gaze, yet Shinji had the strangest feeling the man was annoyed. "Do not doubt me when I say I would kill you, if not for this plan of yours. Taking that into consideration, I would take no risk in this, as you are too much of a threat to be left alone. However since our goals are the same for this moment, I do not mind letting you survive, for however long you can." A twisted smile formed from the man's face, as if he enjoyed the fact that Shinji did not have much time left.

"Tch. I know. Its bad enough just supporting Berserker and Rider, but I have enough left for this, at least." Shinji scowled, not at all put off by the man's knowledge of his abilities and eventual fate.

"You are an interesting person, I will admit. Much less than Shirou Emiya, but enough to make me curious." Kirei paused. "An entire town gone overnight, and yet neither the Enforcers nor Executors turn up. I do wonder how you managed such a thing. Although the truly curious part is why you went so far. I understand revenge well enough, but to go to such extents as a child... You harbor such hatred in you." Kirei smiled widely. "In any event, your acquired circuits aside, you dove headfirst into this war specifically to kill a single person. You are far different than what I had imagined when Rin spoke to me of a stalker."

Shinji merely frowned, not speaking.

"Very well, keep your secrets. It will not matter soon enough." He was right. Shinji already felt the affects, and it was not pleasant in the least. If he could hold out until his plan was completed, he would be golden, but if he couldnt, then everything he had done up until this point was useless.

He hated feeling useless.

* * *

Shirou woke from a pleasant dream about swords, thanks to a ruler smacking his desk hard enough to actually move the desk.

"Shirou! No sleeping in class." Oh joy, Taiga was the one who caught him. All his other teachers merely left him be, but Taiga... She was too familiar with him, so waking him up was not a problem for the woman. It did not help that she was actually one of the stricter teachers, at least when it came to paying attention.

"Sorry Fujimura-sensei." Shirou almost smirked at that. Oh how Taiga hated hearing that title from him, but any other title would be improper... not that she cared about that, but she couldnt very well punish him for it, at least not at school. No doubt she would groan about it when she met him at home, but until then he was free. Ah the joys of being a student.

"Dont let it happen again."

Class began again, Shirou trying desperately to stay awake. If not for his stubborn willpower, he would have. It was not the first time he had pulled an all-nighter, but it was the first time he had done so after being so exhausted and worried, as well as exercising all night. His body and mind were at their limits, so he was likely to pass out the second he got home. Thankfully, he was strong-willed, much more so than the usual person. Staying awake till tonight would be no problem for him, provided no one managed to pull him into any fights against Berserker again.

Rin and Sakura had different classes right now, so neither of them could help him stay awake. He just had to focus. That was easier said than done, with how boring English was. He was unsure why he took English, except perhaps to see why Kiritsugu liked English-speaking countries so much. He idly wondered if that was what caused Taiga to learn English as well, considering her crush on the man.

He shook his head, not wanting to go down that road. Nothing but sorrow existed on the road of memories, so he would look towards the future. That was his way. Looking to the past caused stagnation, while looking to the present caused laziness. He wanted the beautiful future, not the burnt past or dull present.

Speaking of future, he recalled that Sakura and Rin were staying the night. He had to question why they wanted to so badly-

Oh god, how tired was he? His thoughts had gone so randomly since he woke up, from teasing Taiga to thinking about dead, to philosophy, to his two best friends. He desperately needed to sleep now, if his thoughts were any indication. Still, he could not rest with the tiger on the prowl.

In what seemed like hours, class finally released for lunch. In keeping with tradition, Shirou went to the rooftop, to meet with Rin, Sakura, Ayako, and Issei.

Issei seemed to be wary around Rin, but he would not call it outright dislike, more paranoia. Not that he could blame the boy, considering Rin's school mask. There was such a thing as 'too perfect', after all. He seemed like like Sakura and Shirou though, so he said nothing about Rin in their presence, though everyone could tell the one-sided tension between the two. The only thing more obvious was the two-sided crush between Ayako and Issei. Shirou had to suppress a laugh at that. Those two were so oblivious they would not notice each other's affections if they lived together.

Still, he supposed, they were all good friends. Even Issei and Rin, when Issei got past his paranoia, got along well enough. Not enough to be considered close friends, but perhaps acquaintances. There was no real dislike in the relationship, only some sense of nervousness. It did not help that Rin took that as a game and began to casually appear out of nowhere to scare Issei. Oddly enough, despite the shock those moments always brought Issei, he seemed much more relaxed around her since they started. Perhaps it was because he was seeing the genuine Rin Tohsaka, rather than the Perfect Girl Mask.

In any case, Issei, Rin, Ayako, and Sakura were all very prompt, be it due to politeness, tradition, or just habit. That was why it was somewhat surprising for Shirou when he arrived before the others. It wasnt too often that one of the group was late, but for him to be the first...

Oh god, he had been moving at his generic speed, rather than the speed he found to be normal for humans. Oh god, how fast DID he go? Looking at his watch, he must have lightly jogged to the top, which meant he was still within human bounds, but also that he had been seen running towards the roof in what could be called a rush.

Really, for him, it was a mildly fast walk. It may have the same motions as a jog, but for all intents and purposes, it was a speed walk to him. Sighing, he sat down, holding his head in his hands. He really, really needed to control himself when he got tired like this. At least he didnt crush his bike on the way to school, that was a plus. Illegal as it technically was, no one would know unless they inspected it closely, and he was well-liked enough in the community that no one would do such a thing. Even if they did, he was rather sure Rin or Taiga could help out, though each would use very different methods...

He shook his head, shaking those thoughts away. He needed to focus on... something. Anything to keep his mind from wandering into places it would not normally.

It was only a minute later that the door opened and the entire group that made up his friends poured out, aside from Shinji who never joined them. "Hey guys."

"Emiya... you arrived before us. That is a first." Issei blinked, his voice rather passive, as always.

Ayako grinned like the chesire cat, Shirou immediately knowing what she was going to do. "Oh Shirou just wanted to be first so he could get some alone time with Sakura and Rin~" Tease him, of course. If Taiga and Rin werent bad enough, Ayako managed to find ways to tease him, Sakura, and Rin all at the same time. Were he not so tired, Shirou would have merely protested. As it was, this provided an excellent opportunity to distract himself from his wandering thoughts.

"Not at all, I merely wanted to make sure you and Issei did not do anything too... illicit." It was probably the wrong word, but he was tired and did not care. His one-sided crush on the two girls aside, he would rather not embarrass them by having Ayako suggest they returned his crush, even though he believed they did not know about it.

It was possible they did and were merely sparing his feelings, but still.

Ayako sputtered, surprised Shirou had turned her own teasing against her. He was not usually so... vicious in his teasing. Usually it was mere hints and subtle innuendos which he used, rather than outright stating such things. It did not help her that Issei was equally flustered, while Rin was laughing. Sakura still seemed a bit embarrassed at Ayako's teasing, but was giggling as well.

Rare or not, it was always nice to see Shirou one-up someone in teasing. Not many would expect him to be capable of it, but he was devilish when he wanted to be. Ayako blamed Rin for corrupting him.

"Well, it seems Emiya caught onto you two." Rin smirked, continuing the teasing. "And after all that effort to hide your relationship too."

"Tohsaka!" Issei exclaimed, looking even redder than Ayako. "There is no relationship to speak of, please do not say such misleading things."

Shirou noted how both Issei and Ayako looked downtrodden at that, and wondered how the hell they had not noticed.

"Oh fine, if you really want it to be kept a secret from everyone, Ill oblige." Rin grinned. Shirou could defend himself from teasing, but Issei could not. It was quite humorous to see his friend flustered but unable to respond. It may be a bit cruel, but Shirou could not help but feel amusement from the interaction.

"So, school finally started back, and we all have only a few more years left." Ayako said, finally ending her own torture, as well as Issei's. "Ever since that seminar, Ive been thinking about heading to Tokyo U, what about you guys?"

Shirou recalled the seminar a few weeks ago, about planning for the future. Shirou had to admit he was a bit lost when it came to that. He wanted to go to college, learn more about the mundane world, so he did not become as detached as most magi, however he also wanted to be a full fledged magus, if only because he could be so much more useful in the Moonlit world than the Mundane one. A doctor could heal a wound, but the proper magus could heal the world...

Issei nodded. "I intend to teach, actually. I think Kuzuki-sensei intends to take me under his wing in that regard." Oddly enough, Shirou could see the calm Issei getting along with the passive but deadly Kuzuki.

Sakura smiled. "Nee-san and I are going to Britain to join a special school." No doubt the clocktower, though why Issei and Ayako did not ask further he was unsure.

Shirou glanced towards the sky, before shrugging. "I dont really know what I want to do." A half-lie. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, just not how to go about doing it. Being a hero, mundane or magic, was a simple concept, but as for how to actually achieve it... He had no idea. Maybe he could hunt Dead Apostle Ancestors, or just go around helping anyone he could. Hell, if he played his cards right he could inspire others to do the same as him, creating an entire generation of heroes.

"Well, you have time to think about it. Maybe you should become a doctor? You have the intelligence for it, as well as the patience." Oh god if that wasnt true. He had waited more than two years to confess his crushes, and he still had not. More than that, he excelled at most scholarly activities, perhaps not being perfect, but certainly enough to get into a decent college. In any case, it was a respectable option. Issei had a point, sure, but that did not mean Shirou wanted to be a doctor. They only helped people AFTER they got hurt, and sometimes they couldnt do anything.

"Maybe." Shirou shrugged. "Ill think more on it later, Im too tired right now." Oh yes, if he could think clearly he probably would have been much more... eloquent? Yes, that was right.

* * *

Although it seemed to take forever, in reality it was only three hours after lunch that school dismissed. In general, Shirou tended to walk to and from school, unless he was particularly late. Since he had accidentally forgotten his bag at his home this morning, he had to drive. Because of that, he had to drive home as well, which meant separating from Rin, who was utterly terrified by his driving, and Sakura, who apparently wanted to talk with Rin about something, if the way she was looking at her was any indication.

Normally, it would take him perhaps a minute to reach his home, depending on traffic and lights. In this instance, with his tiredness, he managed to take three wrong turns, and somehow end up on the other side of town, managing to get lost for the first time since he got his license. It had taken him well over thirty minutes to get home because of that, making Rin and Sakura arrive long before him.

Fortunately, while his tiredness managed to fuck with his sense of direction, it had not hampered his reflexes, so the drive was safe and relaxed, if a bit extended due to getting lost, somehow. After parking his bike in his shed, Shirou wandered around to the front of the building, before entering quietly. He heard the TV, which meant Saber was here, and awake. Rin cared little for TV, and Sakura usually only watched it when someone else did. Saber, however, had apparently fallen in love with some of the Soap Operas that Taiga watched. In Shirou's opinion, whoever decided to translate those shows into Japanese needed to be shot... then shot again.

Whatever the reason, apparently Rin and Sakura decided to join Saber in her Soaps. Shirou did not even want to know why. He deeply hoped they were just talking near Saber, rather than watching the shows. "Hey, Im going to... take a nap." Probably a four to ten hour nap, but still.

The three nodded, not really paying attention to him. Oh well, he supposed, at the very least he could get some rest easier.

Except the very moment he laid his head down, a bell rung in his head, signifying a hostile presence, no, three hostile presences entering the wards Kiritsugu had put up. Shit. Everyone keyed to the wards heard it, so there was no need for him to alert Sakura or Rin. After Rin began to come over more often, and after he learned more about bounded fields, he managed to alter the bounded fields so that Rin and Sakura could also hear the 'bell'. It was a quick, simple change for any magi worth their salt.

It took him six hours to get it right.

In any case, the three presences were quite slow moving, given he had time to move before anything broke. The bounded field was small, but dangerous. It was not a directly defensive Bounded Field, but it was impossible to bypass without activating the Bounded Field. If it could be combined with other, more aggressive bounded fields, it would be the most dangerous thing in the world, simply because it was not possible, barring spatial manipulation, to bypass it.

The only two ways to activate it were to walk through it with hostile intentions, or to break it. The only thing activating it caused was an alarm to go off in the head of those keyed to it. It was fairly simple, and quite easy to set up. Most Magi did not bother because of how pointless it seemed. It would be much more effective to simply have aggressive bounded fields instead. After all, if something would try to sneak into their house, it would be much more efficient to kill them with the bounded fields they tried to bypass. Simply put, for magi, beings who could call the elements to their will, and bend the rules of reality temporarily, it was a worthless spell.

For someone like Shirou, it was a godsend. In terms of battle, Shirou had two main weaknesses that could be exploited. His body was far beyond human, but his prana reserves were not so much. Outlasting his spells, which were both long lasting and rather cheap, was one weakness. It would be fairly simple, since you only had to break his swords to do that. Considering his usage of swords, range could be considered a weakness, at least until last night, when he had a new/crazy idea. No, the next weakness was that of all beings. No matter how dangerous you are, you cant defend yourself against something that you dont know about. In this, Shirou had the advantage of knowing how many enemies he had, and the location where they had entered the bounded field.

It basically gave Shirou just as much an advantage as a normal magi's bounded fields would give them an advantage. Rin found it hilarious how Shirou somehow managed to use the weakest spells to an incredible extent, yet he could not manage a half decent complex one. Still, Shirou had a few spells in his repertoire. Anything that had to do with swords, or an action a sword does, such as cutting, he could manage, if with a bit of difficulty. Of course he rarely used them, as they had nothing on his Traced weapons, let alone his newly gained Noble Phantasms.

Yes, a few memories from Archer had been transfered to him, again. He was not sure how, or why, but he recalled a few different weapons now. Sadly none were strong enough to finish Berserker off, unless he had been killed again. It made him more prepared for the incoming conflict, but not by too much. Three opponents, likely servants, was nothing to scoff at...

However if they were three magi, trying to get revenge on the Emiya family, they would definitely be something to laugh at.

Shirou bolted through the house, narrowly avoiding plowing through the walls, before he arrived in the front yard, to witness the most frightening thing he had seen of this war yet.

Two familiars faces, and one new person were in his yard, obviously they were the hostiles.

Berserker was the first one, a being of unparalleled power, the embodiment of human resilience. He was already immune to Excalibur, Gae Bolg, and Nine Lives.

The stranger was a woman, blindfolded, wearing what, honest to god, looked straight out of a fetish shop. It did not help that she wielded chains. The pink/purple hair was different, but compared to Berserker's eight foot tall, bronze, truck-sized body... it was fairly normal. It actually reminded him of Sakura a bit.

The last person was human. Shirou knew this, not because of the lack of equipment, or the more human features of the man, but because he knew exactly who he was.

"Shinji?" Shirou felt a great deal of confusion, but put that aside.

Regardless, it was not the three strangers that terrified him. No, he could match Berserker for a period of time. The unknown woman was a bit of an issue, but he was confident he could deal with her. Shinji was simply human, so he could beat Shinji rather easily.

The terrifying part was that three others were there also, all of them he knew, and all three of them were fighting.

Sakura was matching spell for spell, all of the spells unrecognizable to Shirou, with Shinji, an angry look on her face. He had never seen her like this before, but some part of him liked it.

Rin was barely dodging the Pink/purple haired woman's thrusts with those strange daggers attached to her chains. Oddly, Rin was using her full reinforcement and somehow able to dodge her, even if barely. Didnt they say that the heart had some sort of crystals in it? Perhaps she was more powerful for it, but still...

Saber, however, was matching Berserker evenly. It was an incredible match, pure power vs skill. Unlike Hercules, King Arturia had no super strength to rely on, instead she perfected her skills, so it was quite interesting to see the two go at it. At least it would have been, if not for Rin being in trouble.

He was worried for all of them, but Sakura was against another human, and Saber was holding her own even better than he had the first time, if only with less killing of Berserker, and more diverting his attacks to the ground to avoiding anyone getting hurt, especially herself. It was rather obvious she wanted to go help Rin, but Berserker was too quick to let her slip past.

So Shirou did the most obvious thing he could have. He charged at Rider, Nine Lives manifesting, one in each hand. For a brief second, he could swear he saw Rider turn to him and look in utter surprise, or terror. While he had no doubts just how terrifying he looked with a copy of Nine Lives in each hand, this WAS a servant, so he doubted it was fear.

He would later find he was wrong.

His charge at Rider went uninterrupted by Berserker or Shinji, both being stalled by their opponents. Rider was no human, so she instantly dodged to the left, before thrusting her entire body forward, trying to stab at him. That was where the second blade came in, swinging horizontally to bisect Rider. It would have worked too, had she not pulled back the instant the blade moved even an inch. Even so, she only barely made it away from the blade before it went past. Seeing her chance, she once more surged forward.

This time, she got right in the distance necessary to stab her enemy. With her right arm thrusting forward, aided by her movement speed, she aimed straight for the boy's armpit, hoping to cripple him. Unfortunately, Shirou used his momentum from the second swing to turn, and kick her in her stomach, launching her back a few meters.

It appeared getting close to the boy was not going to be easy. She needed him distracted, and she knew quite well how to do it.

Rin had only begun to catch her breath, and was about to go help Sakura with Shinji, which would have turned the tide completely given she was the only person in the entire city that was a proper magus. She was also the perfect target for Rider.

Without a word, or even a signal of movement, she once more charged at the defenseless girl, extending her left arm to pierce the girl's jugular. Unlike before, Rin could not dodge, only widen her eyes, both in realization and in fear.

 _"I am the bone of my sword"_

In an instant, a horrible spear flung at Rider, relieving her of her left arm, below the elbow.

Rin fell backwards, blood covering her entire outfit, as well as her face. Horror was etched onto her face, whether from the brush with death, or blood, Shirou did not know.

Rider turned to Shirou, ignoring the wound for now. Servants could survive worse. Shirou was obviously in pain, and quite a bit of it. His outfit seemed shredded, while his right arm was bleeding heavily, hanging limply by his side. He was also panting, oddly enough.

Unknown to Rider, Shirou had attempted to manifest a non-earthly item, a bow from Archer's memories. The bow itself was simple, but sturdy enough to launch Noble Phantasms without a problem. The real issue was that it, similar to Excalibur, was not made by humans. He did not know how the bow was made, or by what, but Archer had somehow contacted an inhuman race, probably from another planet/realm, and had the bow forged for him. While he could project a facsimile of it, it was the earthly-equivalent of the item, which made it incomprehensibly fragile. If he could find a similar material to that of the object he wanted to project, he could, theoretically, project a false copy of it, but it would be more similar to say he was creating a wooden sword after seeing a steel one. Fragile, not as powerful, and apparently, with a very heavy prana cost. Had he had the real bow, Rider would have been dead, and the arrow would have been quite a bit faster. As it was, the explosion had managed to knock his aim off, as it happened the second he released the string. He was lucky that it had still shot the spear.

Archer's memories told him that Archer had manifested Excalibur in a similar manner before, using his own 'hope' to replace 'The Hope of Humanity'. Granted, that was his theory behind it, and Archer's memories were not cut and dry videos played before him, so it was possible he was doing something else entirely. He would have to make sure with Rin later.

First, though, he had to finish this fight.

Steeling himself, he threw himself at Rider, intent on protecting his family, even if he had to get his hands dirty.

* * *

 **(A few minutes before)**

Sakura deeply hoped Shirou was alright. He seemed so exhausted today, barely capable of maintaining coherence throughout each class. His usual clear speech devolved into a tired mumble, and his movements were sluggish, well... for him. More than that, he almost blew his own cover by running at his full speed. She did not say anything because he was simply tired, and Rin would no doubt get onto him later for it.

Even so, when Saber and Rin dragged her to watch some show with them, she expected one of Saber's soap operas, not the news. Especially not the news that an entire town of people had developed a single disease and died. Theories from the newscasters suggested it was a gas leak, or a terrorist attack of some sort. The girls knew better. The timing was too convenient. It had occurred a few days before the Grail War started, and authorities' descriptions of the symptoms of the gas were the exact same as od exhaustion. Someone had absorbed the od of an entire town. A relatively small town, with maybe ten thousand people in it, but still. Authorities were scared shitless about this, too. Ten Thousand people dying that quickly... no doubt the consequences would be devastating, but that would be long term, and on a country-scale, so the daily life of the group would be most unaffected... hopefully.

In most circumstances, it would be unnerving. In this case, it was terrifying. Not because of the number, but because a magus family lived there. Anyone desperate enough to kill thousands for prana would have no issues with preforming what amounted to butchery to increase their magic circuits. Whoever did it would be recognizable, with the inevitable body horror caused by such a thing, provided they survived, and the sheer prana they now had. In most cases, it would be easy to detect them. That much Prana would be a beacon to any half decent magus.

The problem was that Fuyuki was currently undergoing a Holy Grail War, and even that much prana could be hidden with preparation, which the person obviously had done, since he had yet to be detected. More than that, sacrificing that many people took months of preparation, especially when you took into consideration how quickly and unexpectedly it happened.

To be honest, that made whoever had done this the most frightening person in Japan at the moment, barring Blue.

If Shirou could be considered an inhuman warrior, then this person had made themselves an inhuman magus. The only hope they had was that the magus in question did not turn out to be as skilled as Rin, or as specialized as Shirou. In either case, then even with a combination of servants, this magus would be an absolute monster to fight, possibly requiring all the Servants to put down.

They were paying such attention to the news that they hardly even noticed Shirou when he said he was going to rest. It was good that he had not noticed, since he was stressed enough as it was.

Then the alarms for the bounded fields went off. Dear god, Sakura nearly had a panic attack right there. Three enemies, all hostile.

Sakura soon found herself, Rin, and Saber facing against the three enemies, all three of them recognized by her. What were Shinji and Rider doing here? And why was Rider hostile? From what she recalled, Rider liked her, so her hostility was... odd to say the least.

"Nii-san, why are you here?" Saber and Rin were in front of her, both ready to protect her, but no one made any moves quite yet.

Shinji laughed, a laugh Sakura heard only a few times before. It was so similar to Zouken's now... "Isnt it obvious Sakura? Im here for you. Come with me and no one will be harmed."

She would have too, had Rin not spoke up. "You want revenge on Shirou, dont you? You are here to kill him."

Shinji's crazed smirk gave him away. "Revenge? Sure. Sounds fun."

And in that instant, Sakura's patient, kind, and caring personality fell apart. She would not let him harm her new family. Anger coursed through her veins like poison through a river, her eyes turning red, and each shadow in the area darkening. Several shadow-beings came into being near her, all far beyond human capabilities. Prana exploded from her body, surpassing Rin, Saber, and Shirou combined, several times over.

Shinji's smirked turned to a frown. "I was right then... Very well! Come at me with all you have!" It was only then the sheer weight of his prana was revealed, equaling Sakura's in her new state. He stuck his arms to the side, piles of flesh rolling out of his sleeves like magma, forming into horrifying golems of flesh. In an instant, the Golems charged the Shadows, and the fight had begun.

Sakura launched spell after spell at Shinji, fully intent on murdering him. Spells she did not even know flew from her finger tips with ease, all matched by Shinji. His spells repelled her spells. No... not her spells.

 _Her curses_.

* * *

Rin was quite worried about the sacrificed town as well, considering it was more than enough prana to keep a servant manifested during the war, even without the grail. Supposedly. What really worried her was the fact that there was now someone out there with unknown goals, incredible power, and probably no morals, and most likely participating in the war.

Worse than that, the Magus Association and the Church would no doubt investigate, and potentially cleanse the area. The problem was that it was already known throughout the world, so that was impossible.

But what truly worried her was that Shirou would learn of this. No question, Shirou, if he got serious against herself, and Sakura, could utterly destroy the two of them in a fight, shitty magus or not. He could probably match some of the Ancestors, but she still worried. He wasnt an idiot, anyone who knew him could tell that much, but he did do stupid things. Not because he was stupid, but because he would rather do the risky thing than forgo saving someone, even the enemy. She personally hoped he would grow out of having such mercy, because it was both dangerous and stupid, but he was Shirou Emiya.

She sighed as the news went on, not noticing Shirou walk in, or say anything, lost in her own mind. She needed to add to the bounded fields which- just went off. Shit. From what she could tell, there were three hostiles, all entering from the same direction. Considering it HAD to be servants, since no magi were stupid enough to enter Fuyuki during the Grail War, she was rather worried. That meant either two magi and one servant, or multiple servants. In any case, they had to act NOW.

She sped out of the house, Saber to her right, and Sakura behind them. A simple formation based more off of basic tactics than anything. Sakura would best be support in this case. Rin could multiply her base attributes by five, if she really pushed it, so she could at the very least provide a distraction for Saber to capitalize on.

She did not expect to see Berserker, Shinji, and an unknown servant. Him being here meant he wanted revenge, the bastard. He was just like all other kids, desperately trying to lash out at someone else punishing them. Even though his mindset was no doubt the same as all others, he was a credible threat due to the two servants near him. Rin was not particularly gifted in sensory, but she could feel the prana rolling off of him. In that, she confirmed exactly who had sacrificed the town...

Sakura and Shinji spoke for a moment, but Rin interrupted, knowing the truth. "You want revenge on Shirou, dont you? You are here to kill him."

A few moments later, everything had changed. Shinji stopped holding his prana in, letting it roll out of his body like a tidal wave, managing to affect reality by merely existing in its capacity, something that should have been impossible. Before that though... Sakura had changed. It was subtle, and yet it was palpable.

Rin knew her sister better than anyone, even Shirou. She knew how horrible Zouken had been to her, and how powerful Sakura would be if she ever actually TRIED. All those certainties of how strong Sakura could be were shattered when Sakura manifested shadow-like beings, each had a presence similar to a servant, yet... they moved as a single unit, which meant they were similar to familiars. Sakura had not disappointed Rin by showing weakness. She had blown her out of the water by showing pure power, far beyond anything Rin had ever experienced.

And like that, the fight begun. Rin found herself fighting Rider, only surviving because of base instinct. Rider was so much stronger and faster than Rin that she should have already died. Each strike was as a viper charging for a single instant, before pulling back. Rin's practiced Reinforcement and exercise were the only things that allowed her to survive the first few moments. It was quite a while where she was simply dodging, before an incredible idea came to her.

An incredibly _stupid_ idea.

Her maximum reinforcement at the moment was five times her base, if she pushed it. The human body did not have the same emptiness that random objects had, so reinforcing it was harder, and took greater control. The obvious solution was to use something which DID have those cracks, then reinforce it. Simple enough. Most people used familiars of some sort. Most people did not have homunculus hearts made specifically to handle mass amounts of prana.

She could only multiply her base attributes by five, before she risked breaking her body down. Her new heart, however, was practically made for this.

It was a crackshot theory, which would no doubt risk her life, but considering her body was already tiring, while her opponent was still in perfect condition, she needed to risk it.

Without a word, or even a signal, she reinforced her heart as much as possible, causing her heart to beat faster than humanly possible. In most cases, this would cause her vessels to burst, and her heart to rupture. Thankfully, she had already reinforced her entire body, and her heart was not human. Still, she was in quite a bit of pain.

In her honest opinion, it was worth it, just for the single punch she managed to land of Rider's face. The look of shock would be recorded into her memory forever. Even so, she could feel her already tired state becoming worse and worse with each passing moment. Still, she had managed to do what others considered impossible... probably several times over, given the ridiculous circumstances.

With her newfound speed and strength, she was capable of keeping up with Rider for a while, even landing a few punches, though sloppily, as she was completely unused to such power, and she was already exhausted. Rider, however, managed to slice her skin open quite a few times. She was bleeding slightly from each, nowhere near as heavy as the wound Shirou had before, but enough to be a nuisance.

Then Shirou arrived. He was practically a godsend at that point, saving her life thrice over in the first minute. She decided to take a moment to catch her breath, her body aching like hell. She would be called upon to do battle again soon. While she may not be able to match the power Shinji or Sakura had, she could see the ways to break the spells they were launching at each other, although how Sakura learned curses of all things was beyond her. Still, her help would turn the tide. Ridiculous power or not, with her help Sakura could use strategy rather than flinging curse after curse at Shinji.

A tidal wave would sometimes leave structures undamaged, while pressurized water could slice right through those structures. Not entirely accurate, but it was a metaphor not a historical fact.

* * *

Saber was calm about the news, unlike her master and her master's sister. She knew quite well how dangerous this individual was, but she had seen worse at the hands of Caster during the last war. He was a monster unlike any other... Still, this was quite a conundrum. While she would happily venture forth to vanquish the obviously evil man who did such a thing, she had to protect her master... and her sister and potential future lover. Saber had to admit the two had grown on her, although she still found Shirou to be far too dense to not be some kind of sitcom character.

Her new obsession with TV aside, this was a horrible situation. She was obligated to destroy all evil she saw, but she was also obligated to stay by her master, protecting her. If Shirou heard of this, those two goals would likely align temporarily, with Shirou's tendency to disregard logic in order to save people, and Rin's tendency to be right by his side, no matter how stupid his actions were.

She honestly wished she had such people by her side when she was alive.

A horrible thought, considering most would have given their lives for her, but Shirou had a tenacity that even her knights lacked. Reckless or not, the boy should be respected for that stubborn will. Rin had such devotion, and yet it was not blind. She reminded Shirou constantly that he was human, and Saber wished so much that someone had reminded her of that back then. Sakura... to be frank, she found Sakura utterly adorable in her passive nature, kind and caring attitude, and pretty much everything about her. Shirou showed everyone that humans were bound only by what they believed in. Rin reminded everyone that they were human, and that there were always other ways. Sakura made everyone FEEL human, a quality most people lacked. For all her lack of combat skills, Sakura had an ability that most humanity had forsaken in the recent decades. The ability to empathize.

She felt more alive in these short days than she had when she was still living. She was unsure how to process that.

Ah, intruders. She could sense them on the edge of the property, coming closer. Odd, but good. Perhaps Rin or Shirou had tuned the Bounded Fields to her as well? It did not matter.

Feeling alive after death, she was unsure how to process. Intruders, she knew _exactly_ how to deal with.

At least she thought she did, until it turned out two of them were servants, one being an unknown and the other being Berserker, with Sakura attacking the only human, who had more prana than she had ever felt, aside from when Merlin got serious, and Rider attacking Rin. She would have intervened, had she not been forced to dodge the ridiculously large slab of death that was known as Nine Lives.

She lived in an era defined by swords, and that thing was not a sword. Still, she heard most of the conversation, and saw Sakura's change. She found it oddly similar to what Merlin once described to her, but filed those thoughts away for later. Right now she had to fight.

Hopefully without dying.

Berserker's mighty axe-sword-thing was heavy, powerful, and surprisingly fast, so she had to rely on sheer skill. Berserker, even in his most aware state, was not renown for his sword skills. He was known for brute strength and endurance, and a disney movie which pissed on his actual legend. Aturia was different. Rather than strength, she relied on skill, and her extremely overpowered sword. In life, she had been a factory of prana, able to use Excalibur much more than now. It was rather amusing, how being a servant lowered her actual combat ability, rather than raised it, yet it seemingly happened with all incredibly strong people. Gilgamesh, Hercules, Alexander The Great... all of them would have been much more terrifying to face in life than death... probably.

She parried Berserker's wild strikes, merely deflecting them into the ground to avoid damage, desperately trying to land a fatal hit, but making sure to not make any non-fatal hits. From what she had seen, Berserker took a moment to regenerate after a fatal hit, so as long as she could land a single fatal hit, it was over. Provided her theory on the immunity to her attacks being applied AFTER regeneration was true. If not, they were all fucked.

She wasnt too worried about her 'life', but she had come to like Shirou, Rin, and Sakura, so she did not want to see any of them die.

Berserker kicked at her, a surprising move from the Berserker, but not too much. She quickly spun right, out of the way, swinging her sword to decapitate her enemy, only to find Nine Lives already in her sword's path.

She quickly kicked him in the stomach, doing no damage, but managing to push herself back. It would have appeared stupid to do so, given he had the advantage of range. It would be, normally, but she had made her decision now. She could not fully kill him, not with his insane stats, and not with her master being forced to battle a servant, thus limiting Saber's amount of prana. She would have to stall for now, until Sakura either managed to kill the master, or Shirou appeared. In either case, it would quickly spell the end of at least one servant. Berserker took too much energy to maintain to survive even a moment after his master died. The other Servant was nowhere near as dangerous as Berserker, and Shirou had managed to kill him a few times, so he should be capable of at least killing her.

Everything depended on him now. As she realized that, a single question popped into her mind.

 _Is this what it feels like to be useless?_

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter is the starter for what I intend to be a miniature 'arc' of the Grail War, so dont think its NEARLY over yet.

That being said, Ive realized that the direction Im going, I could EASILY have Illya come back, but that would be a major cop out, in my tastes. Especially since no one has any reason to do it, aside from Archer, who is a bit insane and busy at the moment.

So now its revealed how Shinji's power is possible. Sacrificing an entire town, by use of his specific brand of magic, and possibly theft of magic circuits from who knows how many magi. And yes, this is quite ridiculous.

Up until now, Ive been leaving quite a bit of foreshadowing everywhere, if youll notice. I dont remember what chapter, but I mentioned this happening in a previous chapter. The town-sacrifice, I mean. Ive left so many points of foreshadowing that I cant even remember all of them. Im quite bad about that. Hell, even this chapter is filled to the brim with foreshadowing. But the most common thing I do is purposely mislead my readers by abusing POVs. Take from this what you will, like I said before, my goal is to make you think about everything, and entertain you while you do it.

As for Sakura, no she is not the same level as her HF counterpart, because she isnt corrupted to the same degree, yet, or maybe at all. She is much, much weaker. Otherwise Shinji would have been blown away like a leaf in a hurricane.

Did I just give Rin a bastardized version of Luffy's Second Gear? Maybe so!

And Saber's decision to delay Berserker is because Rin is draining her own prana by trying to keep up with a servant, which limits how much Saber can do, quite a bit. If I recall, even moving requires a small amount of Prana from the master, so she is trying to keep her Master from dying. A simple, if wrong, way of thinking. I imagine most of what Saber knows about magecraft comes from Merlin, who was apparently a Magician, so I doubt she realized Rin was not using as much Prana as Saber assumed. She WAS using a ton, though, its just that her new reserves, thanks to the heart, are beyond even that.

Ill let you all ruminate on this last thing. What does redemption really mean?

Tata for now~


	9. Chapter 9

**AN** : Wow, up to 28k views... awesome.

Tanequin: Yes, Ive read a bit of it, but not much.

Rotciv557: Zelretch has nothing to do with Shinji's power/temperament, Im afraid. The truth is that everything he is now is because of Shirou. A scary truth how saving a single person can cause a villain to come about. Now, Im really tempted to spoil what I have planned for Shinji, but I cant so I will say this. The 'Final Boss' as you put it, is someone no one will see coming. Dont worry too much about it though, remember, all servants are still active, as are their masters, save Illya. This is just beginning. I see Shinji as a twisted son of a bitch, but not someone who could be considered 'evil'. At least not in the normal manner. Shinji is a product of his environment, after all. In truth I cant see any of the villains as evil, not really. Kirei's goals are the only true 'evil', but he himself is not. Hell, Gilgamesh's plans were just to strengthen humanity. Angra Mainyu is the only evil. Because of that, I try to portray most characters by giving the readers an understanding of their motivations and demeanor. So Shinji, for the moment, may seem utterly evil, but its more than he, just like Canon Shirou, doesnt care what he has to do to reach his goal. The difference is that Shinji wants to kill a single person, whereas Shirou wanted to save people. Isnt it interesting how such a small difference can make them seem so different?

Well, thats my view at least. I know there are many different factors which separate the two, but I enjoy humanizing villains, even ones like Shinji, or Kirei.

The most ridiculous story-prompt comes to mind. An AU of UBW where Rin masters the Second Magic and continually visits other dimensions with Shirou, resulting in comedy, confusion, and swords. Lots and lots of raining swords.

Oh, and this is for everyone, but remember foreshadowing can be more than certain words. Sometimes it could be the purposeful avoidance of information by the author.

* * *

Archer stood confused, watching over the Emiya house from over a kilometer away. He really should be used to surprises, but this was incredible. The Shirou of this universe had managed to copy his bow, something that should have been impossible. He had been summoned to over a hundred different Grail Wars, each more baffling than the last. Seeing Kirei as genuinely good person was one of the most insane experiences he had, but this took the fucking cake.

The thing that shocked him was not Sakura's accidental partial manifestation of 'Dark Sakura'. It happened before, and wasnt too surprising considering the stress placed on her. Aside from that, Sakura being in combat at all was odd, but even that was not too shocking, with her savior and sister being in trouble. If there was one thing anyone could say about that girl, it was that she would carve a path through hell for Shirou and Rin.

Rin's creativity with her heart was worth looking into. Especially as even a reinforced human heart should have exploded with how she went about it. He could tell what she did simply by the way she was moving, odd as it was. He had seen a similar occurrence when he had visited a non-grail world. Even so, he should not be surprised that Rin, a potential Second Magic user, would be smart enough to use her magic in a biological way, rather than what other Magi would do. She was crafty like that, after all.

Shirou's copying of his bow could be considered impossible, but he knew better. If he had to wager, Shirou was using the same method Archer used to copy Excalibur. Still, that bow had been a gift, and he was not sure he liked the idea of it being copied. An ironic statement, but true nonetheless. Perhaps he just hated his younger self so much that he disliked seeing him with that wonderful bow, copy or not. Still, using Gae Bolg as a projectile was a good idea, although it wasnt enough to really do much against the true monsters of this war, it would take Rider down if done right. Seeing him miss like that, because of the explosion from the bow breaking, was probably the most hilarious moment Archer had witnessed so far.

No, what truly shocked him was that Shinji, the Butt Monkey for the world, was keeping up, with two servants at his beck and call, all the while preforming insane magecraft. Still... unlike Shirou, Rin, and possibly Sakura, Archer understood the past of Shinji. On the bright side to this, it meant whoever Shinji wanted to kill was probably someone Archer would not mind killing himself. That made the situation a bit better, but if Zouken had decided to take over Shinji's body, as he had done in a few dimensions, then Archer may have to intervene... after his past self died of course.

Bazett sighed beside him. "I cant see a thing. Whats happening down there?" She could see a few flashes, but everything was so small at this distance it was impossible to make out anything else. The top of a tall building was the best vantage point for the Emiya house, but even then she was only human, and a kilometer was further than she could see.

"Well, so far we have four humans who are fighting on par with Servants, although only one of them seems to have any restrictions in that regard. Their styles are ingenious too. Taking out the Masters first may not be a viable option. Our best option would be to set traps. Of the humans capable of fighting on par with servants, only the weakest on is a true magus. The rest are more akin to magecraft users. A good runic trap would take three of them out, while the last one would be easily taken down in combat." Archer spoke, similar to a soldier giving a report. Eerily so...

"That wasnt what I meant. You know I have no interest in the Grail anymore. You told me whats in that twisted cup yourself. I just want to make sure whoever is left in this war is someone capable of solving that little issue." Bazett frowned. The idea of what was behind the Grail...

"I could deal with it personally, if necessary." Oh yes, anyone with a reality marble could, if they knew how...

"Maybe, but with all these monsters in the war, itd be best to let everyone know whats in it." Bazett argued. She had been rather firm with her decision, but she did not yet go against Archer's choice to leave it secret.

"So far there are four potential vessels for Angra Mainyu to manifest through. If I tell them, they will try to do something stupid like release the grail early so it can be destroyed. There are only a few ways to fully end Angra Mainyu, and only two of them have any chance of actually doing it. And one of them would be unwilling. Its best to either avoid Angra Mainyu being capable of manifesting, or to simply end the war in my way. If Angra Mainyu full manifests, even for a single instant, humanity is wiped out. Thats the way it is." It would not be the first time he saw it happen, either...

"Is he that powerful?" Bazett sounded doubtful, having seen Zelretch before, and knowing the Wizard Marshal could probably kill ORT if he wanted, if only because it was inactive.

"To put it bluntly, yes, but its more complicated than that. The Greater Grail is essentially limitless. To my understanding, Angra Mainyu does not exist inside the Greater Grail, he has become the Greater Grail. So he would have limitless power, and limitless hatred. Whether or not he drags out the extinction of the human race is debatable, but once he fully manifests, its over." Archer's face was grim, his voice dripping with regret.

"Then lets hope it doesnt come to that." Bazett glanced back at the fight. "...the fuck is that?"

Archer turned to where she was looking, only for his eyes to widen. "I dont know, but I feel that I dont even want to know."

* * *

The fight had been going decent so far. Rider lost an arm, Berserker was being stalled by Saber, who was unfortunately unable to kill him again, especially with her allies so close, and Sakura was keeping Shinji at bay. In any other circumstance, it could be considered a one-sided fight. When dealing with Servants, however, that was unlikely.

Rider may have lost an arm, but she was still a Servant, easily capable of adjusting without difficulty. Berserker was being held back, sure, but none of them had any method of killing him. It was only a matter of time before he managed to land the right hit on Saber, then the fight was over. Sakura was holding back Shinji, but their styles were dangerous to use near others.

Still, Shirou was pretty happy with their chances. He dodged another attack from Rider's chains. If he hadnt known she was supposed to be a legendary hero, he would have been taunting her about her bondage gear, but in this instance he simply found it better to react than taunt. At least she had been honorable after that, targeting solely him. Whether from rage, or perhaps a sense of respect, he was unsure. Rin was still recovering from what could equate to a heart attack. Probably worse, given her body temperature was far above normal, enough for steam to actual rise from her skin. It was both frightening and incredible. She would survive, of course, but when compared to her normal appearance, she looked positively exhausted in all ways. No doubt she still had a lot of prana, but for her to actually use it would require concentration, which she did not have right now.

Rider thrust her dagger towards Shirou again. With almost pitiful ease, he parried it to the side, only for Rider to use the push to spin on her heel and kick him in the face. Shirou stumbled back, surprised at her action. His jaw hurt like hell now, too. If he hadnt been reinforced already, his jaw probably would have broken. Whoever his opponent was, she was quite a terrifying fighter.

She only further proved that when she continued spinning for a fully rotation, causing the end of her chain to whip around in an attempt to wrap around Shirou's neck. Shirou only barely ducked the chain, before darting forward with Gae Bolg in his hands, stabbing right at her heart. He had not activated the Noble Phantasm yet, so it was not a perfect shot. Even so, he managed to nick Rider's stump of an arm, just before she fully moved out of the way. In the same movement, however, she managed to raise her leg and bring it down on Shirou's back.

The swordsman shattered the ground where he landed, his face twisted in both shock and pain. Fighting this woman was profoundly different than fighting Berserker, or even Saber. Berserker was too insane to use any sort of skill, which limited his actions to single-instant actions, no planning, no ideas. Saber, on the other hand, was an honorable swordswoman. She attacked solely with her sword. While her actions had incredible skill, they were still single-actions. Rider was... different. She was less skilled, and less absurdly powerful, but she did not have an insane mind, so she could think clearly, and she did not have honor, so she had no trouble using all potential weapons. Had he been fighting differently, he may have already killed her, but because he had gotten used to fighting people like Saber or Berserker, he had lost.

And clearly so, once the dust revealed to everyone that Rider was still on top of Shirou, her heel digging into his back. Her dagger was poised to strike his spine, which would no doubt kill him. Shirou grinned slightly. 'Guess I cant do it then...'

* * *

Sakura was beginning to regain her senses, vaguely aware that she should not know half of the curses she used against Shinji, let alone how to summon those weird Shadow beings. Even so, everything she did was countered by Shinji. Each curse by a spell, each shadow being by a flesh golem.

To call them anything else would be ridiculous. The things that Shinji created only resembled humans in the most basic shape. Two arms, two legs, a body, and a head. Their bodies, though... It was as if someone had taken pound after pound of skin from different people and halfhearted sewn the skin together to cover whatever was underneath the Golems. She found it disgusting and strangely familiar. The golems had no eyes, no ears, no noses, nor mouths. They merely seemed to be clumps of flesh fused together in some satanic ritual. Still, they had a disturbing beauty to them. Not a physical beauty, but in the way they existed.

Ignoring that, she continued attacking Shinji, her curses getting slightly weaker as time went by. Shinji did not seem to suffer the same way. If anything, his attacks were getting stronger and stronger. She had to end it soon, or else she would lose.

She waved her hand, several curses spewing forth similar to her sister's Gandr. However these curses were vastly different from Gandr. Whatever Sakura was using, she found it more similar to a Conceptual Weapon than to a Gandr. Each curse was a concept given magical form, applying itself, for however brief a moment, onto whatever it hit. Weakness, fear, pain, even death. All of these were possible for her to inflict, and yet... Shinji seemed to block them without any hesitation, as if they were merely flies to him. He still had that sickening smirk on his face, too.

She loved her brother dearly, but if he threatened Shirou and Rin, she would have no choice but to put him down.

 _After all, isnt that what such scum deserves?_

Terrified at the thought, Sakura stalled for just a moment.

Shinji capitalized on that, his Golems gaining the advantage over her Shadows for just a second, while he struck out with a single movement. Unlike Rin, or even Sakura, everything Shinji used was designed by himself, and tested by himself. He had no idea of the potential certain paths of magecraft had, and his skills could be considered second rate. However, just like Sakura, he had enough Prana to back it up. So far he had seen fit to simply absorb the power behind Sakura's curses, using their small connection to bind those spells to his own prana reserves, bolstering his power further. Every little bit helps, after all.

So Shinji did not strike out with a complex spell. He did not use some magical technique passed down for generations. No, his actions were much more simple. He reinforced his body to its limit, which was apparently much more than normal humans, before punching Sakura in the face. Had Sakura's body not been strengthened by her current state, her head would have exploded on impact. Shinji knew this.

As he turned to Rin, his twisted smile growing even more, he finally spoke. "Two down, two to go..."

Suddenly, he was forced to dodge to the side, barely avoiding a very familiar dagger. "What?!" He snarled, his amusement from earlier immediately shifting to rage.

Rider was attacking him. It should have been impossible, given his ability to command her as he did. Even so, he realized now that he had little choice in the matter. Berserker appeared at his side in an instant, causing Rider to jump back. "I see..." He no longer felt a connection to Rider. He was unsure how, but Shirou had manged to sever the contract. "Very Well then!" Shinji's prana fully manifested once more, this time his golems melting into what looked like liquid flesh. The liquid came together, forming a single being while Berserker kept Rider back.

Shirou, Rin, and Saber were horrified when they saw the thing finish developing. It was similar to the golems from before, but it was larger than even Berserker. From the presence of the beast, comparing it to Berserker was not far off, in terms of physical might. It made no sound, other than the disgusting squelch of flesh each time it moved, but somehow that was just as bad as Berserker's roar.

Shirou and Rin were injured, while Saber was still fine. As such, Saber was the one who ran to Rider's side, finally managing to land a fatal hit on Berserker, right at the neck. Severing his head seemed to stall his regeneration by just a bit. She took the small time she had and caused another fatal wound, hoping it would work. To the surprise of everyone, it did.

"Damnit..." Shinji grit his teeth, angry at this bitch who dared to resist his might. He shook his head, ignoring that for now. Glancing ahead of him, he grinned. He may not have been able to win tonight, but with what he now had, his goal was close to becoming reality. "Berserker, lets go!" Shinji yelled out, Berserker immediately backing off from Saber and Rider, only for the Flesh Beast to replace him on the offensive, keeping Rider and Saber at bay for a few moments. It was all he needed.

* * *

Saber was unsure what the thing in front of her was, but it was not Berserker, which meant she could use Excalibur, especially with Rin's body slowly going back to normal. She was wrong in her previous estimate of Rin's power. She seemed to have much more prana left for her to use, it was her body which seemed to be struggling. Odd, but Saber knew little of normal Magecraft, so she ignored it for now. Rin was the only one who really understood what was happening, no doubt.

With a single nod to Rider, Saber backed off, allowing Rider to distract the flesh beast for a moment. In the same moment, Saber undid the magic on her sword, raising it into the air with both hands. "Ex-" She began, hoping to use enough power to destroy the beast without damaging too much of the environment. "Calibur!" It was beautiful, to everyone. The light which covered the beast destroyed it in a way that made the beast look similar to a crumbling building. She had held back quite a bit, but even so, it was quite a powerful attack. The beast stood no chance.

Finally, everyone had a moment to breathe. Saber idly noted that Shinji was gone, as well as Berserker. She was about to exclaim that tonight had been their win, when Rin asked a single question which changed everything.

"Where is Sakura?"

* * *

Shinji frowned as he moved towards his 'acquired' home. He knew what Zouken would do if he found out Shinji had captured Sakura, and he did not want to deal with the Old Worm. He had his own plans, he would not be a pawn for Zouken. Especially not when their goals no doubt interfered with each other. In any case, he had to rethink his initial strategy. Shirou was somehow capable of severing Servant Contracts. Kirei had not mentioned that, but it was just as likely he did not know, as Shirou did not have a servant before tonight. In any case, he needed a way to deal with him without Rider now. That made four enemies capable of potentially killing Berserker. Rin was dangerous as a mage, but whatever she had done to her body to allow her to temporarily strengthen herself enough to avoid death by Rider was incredible. In any case, she was the least dangerous now. Shirou had shown exceptional speed and strength, as well as those ungodly swords. Saber was the most skilled of the bunch in terms of swords, and that Excalibur attack... dear god that was terrifying. Rider was, at the very least, a known threat. He knew how to deal with her as well, as her loyalty was towards a single person, regardless of who was her Master. If he put Sakura's life on the line, everything should work out fine. For now however...

Sakura jolted awake, gasping for air. She glanced around at the unfamiliar room, idly noting she was in a comfortable bed. What happened? She could only remember the fight, and then blacking out again. Still, she had faith that Shirou, Saber, and Rin pulled through. What kind of person would she be if she couldnt trust in her friends?

Unfortunately, the figure at the end of her bed was enough to stall anymore of those thoughts.

"Sakura. They are all alive and well, so dont worry about that. However... I think we have some... catching up to do." The way he said that made Sakura panic, only to realize she could not access her prana, for whatever reason.

A while later, Shinji exited the room, while Sakura stared forward, tears spilling from her eyes, with what could only be described as a broken look on her face. Whatever happened in that room had broken Sakura more than anything before. And yet... she always knew Shinji would end up like this. Some part of her had known from the start.

* * *

Kirei grinned at Gilgamesh, having watched the entire fight. "Oh this is delightful. It seems your Saber is back, and has some new allies. What do you make of this?"

Gilgamesh's face was impassive. Kirei found it strange, but Gilgamesh had been acting differently ever since the start of this Grail War. "It will be much harder to gain her now, but doesnt that simply make the effort equal the prize?" He had a small smirk on his face, but something seemed off...

Kirei turned neutral again, before speaking far more calmly. "You seem... different. Is something on your mind?"

Gilgamesh shook his head. "Just remembering what you said about that boy."

Kirei cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "You think he is your own?"

Gilgamesh nodded. "It is possible, isnt it? Time, space, what meaning have they in the Throne of Heroes? Other worlds exist, ones where I never ascended to the throne of heroes, yet still led the same life, so is it not possible?"

Kirei conceded to him there. What Gilgamesh was suggesting was entirely possible, in theory. Hell, from what Kirei knew, it was partially correct, about one third correct, really. "It is certainly possible, though he acts much different, and his abilities are based more off copying than obtaining."

Gilgamesh turned to Kirei, an oddly calculating look in his eyes. "Perhaps so, but I was much different as a child as well. As with this boy, it is possible that his power is obtaining of the theory of the weapons, rather than the actual weapons. At which point simply manifesting them onto the physical world is enough, although it would make it seem like copying, it would be creating, instead."

Kirei shrugged carelessly. "Speculation is pointless with how little we know of the boy. I am far more interested in Rin, myself."

"The girl? I admit seeing a human rise against a supernatural force by exceeding their limits is interesting, but the boy personifies that much more than her."

"Perhaps. I simply enjoy the way she attained such strength." Kirei smiled thinly.

"Ah yes, sacrifice to gain power. You seemed to love the idea, if I recall." Gilgamesh chuckled derisively. "Surely the boy sacrificed more, as his power is greater."

"Most definitely, however I did not witness his ascension the same way I did with Rin's." Kirei's smiled widened. "I even managed to cause her ascension, if indirectly."

"I would not call implanting a non-human heart into an unwilling subject indirect."

Kirei merely shrugged.

* * *

Caster frowned as she scryed the Emiya house, having witnessed the ridiculous turn of events from the fight. Truly, she would have lost any of those fights. Her physical strength and endurance were not enough to survive Rin's new skill. She was physically inferior to every servant, as well, so Saber, Berserker, Shirou, and Rider would have shattered her with little effort. Sakura and Shinji were even worse. Even she did not have that much power, yet the two had thrown around spells that should not even exist as if they were tossing paper at one another.

True, her own spells were infinitely close to True Magic, but they could, by all means, exist. What Sakura and Shinji had used SHOULD not. Somehow, both of them had managed to break rules even more than she did. It was less about her being more skilled as a magus and more about those two pulling some ridiculously impossible things out. To use Conceptual Curses, of all things... Not to mention Shinji's blatant disregard for their power, by absorbing them, of all things.

She needed a back up plan. She had no use for the grail, after all. In that case, she needed to rethink her plans. Kirei was powerful, and dangerous, no doubt. Somehow, he managed to sever the connection that should have existed between her and those Mystic Codes she had given him. However he managed it, it made him uncontrollable by her. Even worse, that unstoppable force known as Gilgamesh had only been revealed to her through a lucky break when scrying Kirei. Her alliance with him was obviously in his favor. Especially since he had the perfect chance to finish the boy off, yet he did not.

"Damnit!" Caster smashed the table against the wall with a careless flick of her wrists. "Betrayed again..."

Kuzuki stared at her for a moment. "If you are so worried about being betrayed, would it not be best to ally with Shirou? The boy has a sense of honor that will not allow him to betray you. Kirei, on the other hand..."

Caster sighed. "I would, but the boy would hate my methods, and no doubt find my actions inexcusable. Oh but what I wouldnt give to dissect him. For a human of the current era to be so powerful."

Kuzuki shook his head. "Perhaps it is a difference in the way we think, but you have stated yourself you have no wish for the grail, merely desiring to exist further. In that case, why preform any of those actions which you believe he would find disgusting? You would have yourself an ally with the means and ability to win the war alone, especially with your knowledge about the Grail. As for dissecting him, if you find a non-lethal way to do it, he may very well agree to it."

Caster nodded. "He does not know the source of his own strength, either. He is no doubt curious about it... Why are you so adamant about allying with him though?"

Kuzuki paused, looking upwards. "I have taught many students before, both in martial arts and in genuine academics. That boy excels at both. He managed to inspire Rin to keep up with his skill, and even surpass it. That boy is interesting. He overcame his limits, and inspired others to do the same, if only slightly. However, have you noticed? The more someone is around him, the less they seem to be affected by what we believe are human limitations. Rin has exhibited strength far beyond what should be possible for a normal girl her age. Without your reinforcement, she would likely be stronger than me, and that is disregarding whatever enhancements she can use. From what you said about that Sakura girl, she too has surpassed what should be possible for a human, except in terms of magic capacity, rather than physicality."

Caster frowned, confused. "What are you suggesting?"

"To be blunt, Shirou's presence affects the concepts of limits. If I am right, he is quite similar to what you described as Conceptual Weapons."

Caster's eyes widened, before a grin took place on her face. Oh yes, that was perfect. If it were true, then she would have no problems allying with him.

* * *

 **A/N:** So the small skirmish at the Emiya house is over, Sakura is kidnapped, Archer knows things he shouldnt, Kirei is misleading Gilgamesh, who is being unusually withdrawn, Caster is pissed about being betrayed indirectly. Caster, Kuzuki, Gilgamesh, and Kirei are discussing what makes Shirou special, but only one is right. Archer simply doesnt give a fuck.

Now, to explain Shirou's almost loss to Rider, you must stop thinking of fights in terms of 'who is stronger'. Its not just that, but also a bit similar to Rock Paper Scissors. How so? Well, Rock beats scissors, yet Scissors beat paper, which beats rock. Its not about who is stronger, or even more skilled. An incredibly large factor in fights is how skills mesh together. A man whose skill is to dodge any strike will lose to a man who uses the environment, even if the first man is incredibly fast and strong. Trying to predict how a fight would go without it being an utter curbstomp battle is pointless. There are too many factors to take in.

Also, he was pretty exhausted so yeah.

Sakura seems to have broken even more, and after all that healing with Shirou and Rin too. Shirou has a new servant, who is probably the only person with a shorter skirt/dress than Rin.

There are a lot of things going on that I havent mentioned yet, such as Zouken and what he is doing, or where Lancer is. All things in time, of course.

I was planning to end the battle between Shirou and Shinji here, with an epic ending battle, but I decided against it because of reasons. I also wouldve had a longer chapter, but I feel like shit, so here it is.

Tata for now~


	10. Chapter 10

**AN** : Whoo! So many alerts and favorites now. I must say this is rather exciting.

DeltaFox: I have, and they are good stories.

Rotciv557: Ah yes, I tend to do that, altering character personalities. Both intentionally and unintentionally. I do it intentionally when events happen that I dont think the characters would act like their normals selves with. Gilgamesh's actions in FSN were, in my mind, mostly because of how pathetic he saw humanity as. Seeing a human capable of matching servants and winning, though, makes him wonder if humans are as weak as he imagined, or if there is a way other than slaughtering many of them. Oh he definitely still has the hots for Saber, he is just distracted by what he imagines Shirou is, which I wont say.

As for Caster, well I figured why not. Kirei has been acting rash in his movements, and showing his hand so early was a mistake, and one he will pay for. On the other hand, Caster knows a bit about Shirou through Kuzuki. His theory of Shirou being a (And I hope this isnt an actual thing in the Nasuverse) Conceptual Being only got her thinking about what he COULD be. Whether she believes Kuzuki's idea or not is unimportant, she simply sees no need to make an enemy out of a potential ally.

And Archer... well. I see the same type of CG Emiya used over and over again, as in the canon one. Its not that bad, mind you, but I wanted something far darker. Normally, we can assume Archer has lost hope for his ideal because of his CG nature. In this, he has lost his everything. He has been forced to kill those he loves hundreds of times, witnessed the darkest of the Grail Wars, worlds where Hell would be a better alternative, and anything you can imagine. If Canon Archer was a CG for hundreds of years, this Archer has been a CG for tens of thousands, and had hundreds of plans to get out of it, only for all of them to fail.

And Im honestly really curious as to whether you will love or hate what happens with Shinji. You said you like my interpretation of him so far, but I wonder if that will last once all is said and done...

For the rest of you guys, I cant reveal much about which theory, if any, is correct on Shirou. Gilgamesh is only guessing at the moment, while Kuzuki has no idea of the magic system. Im not even sure if Kuzuki's idea is possible canonly, but it sounds pretty cool doesnt it? When you think about it, Gods could be considered Conceptual Beings. Beings who embody and manipulate a concept. Of course that would depend on the god and... yeah. Its interesting to me at least.

Now a bit on some of the other things. Rin's heart is more sturdy than her older one, as well as filled with Magic Circuits. I imagine the Einzberns would build a homunculus to be sturdy, since that specific one was going into a war. Sakura is partially tapping into the grail, temporarily trading her sanity for power. Of course, as with anything, if she gains a tolerance for the power, she wont lose her mind while accessing it. Theoretically.

Shinji is a bit more twisted. His original magic power was inexistent. It was only thanks to a few crest worms that he gained any sort of power. What he did AFTER that is the twisted part. Absorbing the magic power of an entire town, and what he did to the mages... Well, to make it make some sense, Ill tell you this. Shinji's element is 'Flesh' in this fanfiction. More akin to 'organic material' than what flesh actually means, but yeah. So his condition is similar to Rin's, but vastly more dangerous, and instead of a single person, he used thousands. He could probably enact a miracle on the world by himself if he had the knowledge to do so. He does not. His research was on only a few things, so his knowledge is severely limited.

Whoa, long A/N... Those have become common for me... On with the show!

* * *

The sound of metal bending horribly, similar to a car crash, echoed throughout the Emiya home repeatedly. Rin was not surprised. She felt like doing something similar herself. Even so, Shirou was being inexplicably violent. Something about that fight had made him realize something he had not wanted to accept. Something Rin knew would happen one day.

During their little heroic escapades, they had hunted and beaten many people. However there were never any direct deaths. Not from Shirou at least. Shirou wanted to save people, and killing them was the exact opposite of that. His view was warped enough to give him a reality marble, so his very soul was entrenched in saving people. Rin had no such compulsions, she could murder a villain without guilt. She had been raised as a magus, and then by Kirei. In neither of those cases was she taught mercy.

But then, the villains they had fought until this point were after money, or material possessions. So Shirou had no reason to kill. Now... Sakura was kidnapped, but probably not dead. If Rin had to guess, she would be Shinji's trophy, once he broke her.

The doorknob she had been gripping was crushed under her rage at the thought. As if she would let that happen. If she had to kill Shinji herself, she would. But at the same time... She relaxed her grip, sighing. Anger only clouded her thoughts right now. Right now she needed to calm Shirou down long enough to think straight, so they could locate Shinji and save Sakura.

As she opened the door, she was in disbelief at the sheer damage that appeared on Shirou's weights. In terms of weight, they were insane. In terms of density, or hardness... well, she imagined they could fall from a skyscraper and take less damage than what Shirou had done to them. He had altered them to make them less prone to damage, after all. Not as good as reinforcement, but good enough. She had seen some of them eventually develop small dents from Shirou tilting them as he dropped them, but never had he genuinely punched them like this. She realized then, just how powerful he was.

...And she realized she wanted that strength too.

The recent bout made her realize she could not keep relying on Shirou. Eventually, he would be outnumbered, and outgunned. Sakura was well on her way to power, if she learned to control that state she was in before. Rin was the weakest. She knew it. However, she was not like Shirou, not Sakura. Shirou was a warrior who used magic to help himself in that regard. Sakura was a civilian who somehow tapped into something closer to true magic than anything Rin had ever seen. But Rin was a magus through and through. She would catch up to them, and she knew exactly how...

"What?" Shirou practically growled at her, his eyes bloodshot, and his fists covered in his own blood. Punching that hard a material repeatedly was not healthy for his hands, superhuman or not.

"We were about to plan our next move."

"Isnt it obvious? We get Sakura back." Shirou responded, his anger starting to cool just a hint.

"Yes, but first we need to find out where she is, and I think I know just who would know..." Rin sighed. "But there is something I will need your help for first, at my house. Something that should let me fight equally with you."

Shirou fully turned towards her now. "You dont ne-"

"No!" Rin interrupted "I will not stand by while you and Sakura get hurt. I got you two dragged into this mess, so its my duty to make it right."

"Rin..." Shirou said no more, surging forward to grab her in a hug, tears spilling from both their eyes.

"...I just want to be able to protect my family." Rin spoke softly, her guilt, worry, and stress building up too much for her to keep going like normal.

"We will save her, Rin." Rin could not help but enjoy that his use of 'we' signified his acceptance of her idea, even though he had no idea what it was. If he had any idea of the chaos that idea would eventually bring to himself, he would have denied it vehemently. Of course if he had that knowledge, he would also have the knowledge on how to fully access his Reality Marble, so there would have been no need.

Ignoring the idea of time travel for a moment, Shirou had to wonder what plan Rin had to allow her to fight equal to himself.

The two did not move for several moments, both drowning in emotions and needing someone to lean on. Two pillars may fall over, yet support each other.

* * *

Saber was not sure what to make of Rider. They had already confirmed she knew nothing about where Shinji was going to hide, since he used his servants more like tools than people. From the sound of it, she was not terribly loyal to Shinji, if at all. She seemed to think herself indebted to Shirou for saving her from being Shinji's servant. She had no sense of honor, though. She had called herself a monster, but Saber thought she was more like Sakura, someone whose circumstances grew beyond any sense of control.

Saber found herself worrying more over Sakura than Rider, though. It was odd, but part of her realized that Rider was now Shirou's servant. He had command seals, so she would be little threat. It helped that she seemed compliant to his orders as well, not at all put off by him allying with Rin. She seemed content to serve, if anything.

"Rider." The purple haired woman looked towards Saber, that emotionless expression in place. "What is your wish?"

Rider paused. "I seek no monetary gain, nor reincarnation. I would be happy to fade away if it meant I could save my original master." Saber tensed. "Not him. That boy was never my master, he stole me from Sakura. She reminds me too much of myself for me to not want to help her."

"Oh..." Saber frowned. This was odd. Everything seemed to be in place for an all out war to happen, given how many allies Shirou had, and how many enemies seemed to have allied with each other. Yet... something was off.

The doorbell rung exactly the moment Rin and Shirou stepped into the room, oddly. Sensing no hostile intentions, Shirou merely walked forward to open the door.

Shirou paused, no one able to see over his massive frame to check who was at the door. "Rin... I think its for you." Shirou shifted out of the way, and the sight of Kirei Kotomine and his Golden Servant was apparent to everyone.

Saber was on her feet in an instant, prepared to defend her master.

Rin, however, strode forth with confidence. "Relax Saber, he doesnt have any hostile intentions, or else we would have sensed it." She was stressing out internally, but she would face this with pride.

"Actually" Kirei's smooth monotone echoed in the small room. "I am here for you, Shirou Emiya. Though I suppose I would not mind discussing some things with Rin as well. More important than any of that, my King here seeks to speak with you directly, Shirou Emiya."

Shirou blinked once, before his face morphed into a hard frown. "Very well, come in and sit down. No sudden moves, either." Oddly enough, the Golden man smiled at the way Shirou projected his authority into his voice.

A few minutes later, the group was seated, though separated. Rin and Shirou sat next to each other, with Rider and Saber between them and Kirei and Gilgamesh. It was foolish to trust them in this manner, but Rin's original plan was to find Kirei anyway. For him to come to them was worrying, but they had no hostile intentions, so it was unlike they would attack. That did not mean they trusted them. They would simply play nice for now... After all, if what Rin had told Shirou earlier was true, then Kirei was not an enemy right now. Not an ally, but not an enemy either.

If not for the suggestion Rin had made about Kirei knowing more about the war than anyone, Shirou would have ripped the priest in half the moment he saw him.

"So what did you want?" Shirou was in no mood for games or formalities at the moment.

"What a bold way to address a king!" Gilgamesh laughed. "But I suppose that can be forgiven, given the circumstances. As you said before, neither of us have any hostile intentions for anyone in this house. In fact, I would say we are more interested in your survival than your death." Rin found herself believing the man, strangely.

"You say that, but you attacked Rin and Saber last time you met." Shirou might as well have been a viper for all the venom in his words.

"Ah, but we also had the perfect chance to finish them off, yet we refrained." Gilgamesh countered, a smirk on his face.

"Forgoing a larger crime does not excuse the completion of a smaller crime." Shirou frowned, wondering why he felt such a... rivalry with this man.

"True." Gilgamesh conceded. "But in that regard, we also helped the girl, Rin." Odd how he tried to refrain from actually naming the girl, but nothing worth worrying about. "Without that heart of hers, she would have died earlier, and she knows it."

Rin frowned. "I could have survived."

Rider shook her head. "No, he is right. Had you not surprised me with that incredible physical ability, I would have ended it in an instant."

Rin paused, confused at that. She only shot past human limits when she reinforced her heart...

Shirou shook his head, drawing the attention back to himself. "Very well, but that does not explain why you are here."

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, that insufferable smirk still on his face. "Very well, then I suppose I shall come out and say it. I believe you are my reincarnation."

"Impossible!" Saber spoke up, angry at the idea that Shirou could ever be like Gilgamesh. "You are a heroic spirit, your soul went to the throne of heroes."

Gilgamesh laughed once more. "Perhaps this soul did, but what if this world's version of me did not? It is possible that I am from an alternate world, and that my soul on this plane never ascended to the Throne of Heroes. I hate to admit it, but the knowledge of how it all works is beyond even I."

Shirou snorted derisively. "It doesnt matter. What possible proof do you have?"

Gilgamesh's smile went from an arrogant smirk to a dark grin quickly. "Come now, your own collection of blades is growing, similar to my own in life, if only different in how we attained them. You are even gaining a harem of women, loyal to you. Ha! You even think of this world as yours, and so you want to protect it. You even have physical and magical abilities no one else has in this era. You are beyond a normal human."

"I am human."

Gilgamesh's amused shake of his head was not helping Shirou's understanding of the situation at all. "Exactly that. I had the chance to call myself a god, yet I chose to be a king. The King of the World."

Shirou's eyebrows drew together into a curious expression. "You say that like its some sort of title."

Gilgamesh nodded. "Of course, all Kings must be kings of something, so they must bear a title. Your own Saber is known as the King of Knights, is she not? My own title would be King of All, as I was the first and only person to own all the world."

"So then what now? You dont seem to be angry at a copy of you running around, not that I fully believe you. What was your purpose in telling me this?"

"Do not assume you are a copy. If anything, you are more real than myself, since I am a mere portion of the legendary hero Gilgamesh. Even should that not be true, you are the only human I can say is worth the space you occupy." Gilgamesh frowned for the first time in the conversation. "Humanity was once strong. Now humans are weak, and there are so many. Perhaps you will come to fix that, should I fail." He spoke as if his failure was impossible, yet Shirou could not help but think he WANTED to fail.

"Humanity is strong. There is simply no enemy left worth getting stronger over. Once we take to the stars, it will be a different story." Shirou reasoned.

"Perhaps. However are you forgetting the most powerful thing on this planet? Type Mercury. It is waiting for something, and it will wipe out humanity if it is not destroyed before then. An enemy no one can face at the moment, and yet there are no enemies left to fight? Foolish. There is always something bigger, waiting to attack. Never forget that." Shirou was quite perplexed at the way Gilgamesh kept changing his demeanor, but was more focused on the conversation at hand.

"I guess. Either way, there is no definite proof that I am your reincarnation. Even if I am one, that would not fully explain my powers. Im sure hundreds of reincarnations exist, yet Ive never heard tale of anyone as strong as me without magic."

"That is because I am the strongest, of course. I cannot imagine a weak reincarnation becoming strong like you have. Perhaps it is also because you have lived in Fuyuki all your life, next to the Grail, which forms a connection to the Throne of Heroes. I do not have all the answers you seek, I merely have my own beliefs. If you disagree, that is fine. You will learn in time, just as I did."

Seeing as the two were done with that conversation, Kirei spoke up. "Rin. I imagine you hate me for all I have done. Still, I am curious, how has the heart been working for you?"

Rin almost did not answer, but knew the best way to get the information they wanted was to play along, no matter how much she wanted to plant her fist inside Kirei's chest. "No problems, everything seems fine... Why?" She was not asking about his question, rather his actions. Somehow, he knew it.

"Because it amused me. Giving my student power at the cost of pain. Shirou may have ascended past human limits somehow, but I did not witness it, but to directly be involved with your own ascension to the same level..." Kirei smiled slightly, an unnerving sight to the group.

"Same level? I barely managed to fight Rider, and even then it required a special spell." She lied, not wanting anyone but herself to know the risks/benefits of reinforcing her heart as she had.

"Perhaps, but even so, you managed to bypass human limits. Shirou has been at this since his birth, compared to the short time you have had your heart. Perhaps you will come to the same level of power as him, eventually. For now, surpassing human limits like you did is more than enough to place you both in the same category." Kirei explained.

"Alright, enough of that. I answered your question, so answer mine. Where is Shinji?" Rin slammed her hands on the table.

"Oh very well, I suppose we have spoken enough. Shinji Matou is located, for the moment, at his family home. However once he finishes there, which should be in a minute, he will be heading towards the old Einzbern Castle. Quite a fitting place for the war between your group and his." Kirei smirked at the prospect of battling on stolen grounds of dead homunculi. Yes, that was wonderful. He quite disliked them, considering they were false humans who felt more than himself, a real human.

"Then we are done here." Shirou's voice was even and tense, showing how much Sakura's safety mattered to him.

"Not quite, Gilgamesh wanted to show you something, if I recall." Kirei glanced at his kind-of-not-really-friend.

Gilgamesh snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, I had forgotten with all the recent excitement." With a slow, drawn out motion, he lifted his arm up to pull something from the air, although the golden circle around the something showed it was not a normal item. Indeed, once Shirou saw it, time seemed to slow down. Gilgamesh said something, but Shirou seemed unable to hear him. This... thing behaved like a sword, but it was not one. No, it was a shell for something far worse.

In that blade, Shirou saw nothing and everything, wrapped into a single object. As if the object was the universe itself, used as an eraser to destroy what it was pointed at. Though he saw the blade, and what it did, he could not even begin to comprehend it. It was so far beyond his understanding... More than that, the weapon represented all and none, so his soul trying to attain it would be akin to True Magic, or more. Even then, the weapon was simply too much. Whatever it was, whatever its history, it contained too much information to be added to his Reality Marble.

Without a sound, he blacked out, falling backwards.

Gilgamesh was confused now. The boy should have taken his blade, or the concept of it. If not, then perhaps he was wrong on some level. Or perhaps Ea existed beyond what could be stolen or given, so it simply refused to be copied. That seemed possible. It could be physically given to another, but it refused to be copied. That born from before time would not accept multiples existing within the same time.

Rin grabbed Shirou before his head hit the floor, her own speed at the movement surprising her. She glared at Kirei and Gilgamesh, Rider and Saber ready to strike the two down. "Get out. NOW!" Her voice seemed to echo of its own accord, while Kirei and Gilgamesh felt something... shift.

"Very well, we have overstayed our welcome. My King, what do you think about visiting Tokyo tonight?" Kirei spoke with Gilgamesh as they walked out of the house.

"That would be entertaining. There should be quite a festival going on now, given the governemnt's latest exploits." Gilgamesh agreed, before they were both out of earshot.

Rin frowned. "I should have killed them..."

Saber was about to respond, but Rider interrupted. She was getting rather tired of being interrupted. "Why didnt you? Why didnt we?"

Rin sighed, holding one hand to her head. "If I had to guess, it would be some form of compulsion. Kirei did not come unprepared. He used some form of compulsion to make us think in a way that let them speak with us. Even without the war, he is our truly biggest threat. Now that it is confirmed he has his own servant, as well as possible alliances... It doesnt matter, Shinji first. Saber, Rider, guard the house, Im going to let Shirou rest. Whatever that thing did to him drained his prana pretty bad. Rider, go-" The moment she mentioned Shirou's prana being low, Rider went into her astral form to conserve her master's energy. "Yeah that. Saber, keep close to us. Ive got a bad feeling about tonight..."

Saber frowned, but complied. She had to admit, she had the same feeling of hesitation. The idea of someone manipulating their thoughts and emotions to make them more compliant was worrying, even if they all almost killed Kirei and Gilgamesh many times. "I thought you said this priest was only passable at magecraft?"

Rin nodded as she walked towards the bedroom, carrying Shirou with strange ease. "He is, but he is more prepared than anyone I can imagine. If half the rumors of Kiritsugu Emiya are true, then he was probably the only person more prepared than Kirei. How he got his hands on an item to pull off such magic is beyond me, but maybe it was his Servant... We shouldnt be focusing on this, we need to plan what to do to get Shinji to release Sakura."

Saber sighed as Rin laid Shirou on the bed. "I know the layout of the Einzbern Castle. I should be able to come up with something. For now, get some rest. I dont think any of us are up to fighting Berserker right now. Whatever Shinji's plan is, he isnt targeting Sakura. Its more than likely he is using her as bait, so he will also send a message to us on where he is. He seems to be after Shirou, but it might be you as well, Master."

"Yeah... you are right." Rin sighed as she laid in the bed, not noticing or not caring that Shirou was in the same bed. "But when all this is over, I want an explanation on how you know that Gilgamesh fellow, and why you know the layout of the Einzbern Castle. Im willing to let you keep secrets, but this goes beyond your mortal life. Something weird is happening in this war, and I want to know what. Good night Saber."

Saber smiled at her stubborn master, keen as ever. She probably already had a theory that was close enough to the truth, too. "Good night Master."

She shut the door to the bedroom behind her, before sitting in the living room once more.

"Saber..." Rider's disembodied voice called out. "Why are our masters sleeping together." Saber merely smirked. She could be just as playful as anyone else when she wanted to. Rin may not have realized she was sleeping next to Shirou, but she certainly did.

She paused. Wait... didnt Rin say Shirou's prana was low?

* * *

 **A/N:** Another Info/theory-Dump! Yay!

That being said, this chapter thoroughly disappoints me, because it feels like a major quality drop to me. I had almost nothing planned here, except for a break in the action, and to show that Kirei and Gilgamesh do what they want because they can. For them right now, there is nothing too risky, because they are both completely insane, and insanely powerful. Gilgamesh wanted answers, so he went to get them, and Kirei mostly wanted to watch, as well as learn what Rin had done so far.

No Caster/Shirou alliance this chapter, but will it happen next chapter? Maybe!

Anyway a lot of this chapter was to advance the mystery of Shirou's origins, while also giving Shirou and his group a chance to find/make a plan for Shinji and Sakura. The plan will of course not be discussed until it is put into action, because that would ruin it otherwise. Next chapter comes a big twist! The chapter after that is a far bigger twist too!

Jeez all these eventual twists, I might make this story into a DNA strand. Or a really fucked up maze. Probably the latter.

Archer and Bazett wont appear for again for a while, due to them being... them. Upon learning what the Grail is, Bazett wants to destroy it, and Archer wants to take his time for all kinds of reasons.

Next chapter unfolds into a lot of action, danger, and debate over the concept of weakness. Hurray for that.

Tata for now~


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Ive been gone a while because of a lot of reasons, but Im back. So time to clear up a few things people seem to keep forgetting.

Timeline. Okay, first off you have to recall I do not address timeskips directly, they are usually obvious. However, it has been a few years since Shirou beat Shinji, causing his spiral downward into magecraft. Ive made little to no mention of what exactly he studied, but its safe to assume something similar to Zouken's worms, except with these flesh golems. He has had years, not weeks.

Archer. Look, Archer is from another world where EVERYTHING went to shit, and he has been living a life that has been going to shit since he was reborn as Alaya's bitch, I mean beast. If a fire can make Shirou forget who he was at Six, then living his version of hell for thousands of years is enough to change him into this. This is not canon Archer.

Illya. Oh my god when I saw the person reviewing how much they loved this story, then freaking out when Illya died, I laughed so hard. Im pretty picky about characters myself, but after all the compliments and enjoyment... phew. Anyway the main thing is that Illya is indeed dead. If you expected to read a happy-go-lucky story where everyone likeable survives... The hell are you reading Nasuverse Fanfiction for?

Okay, there was only one review I really want to answer (That I remember since it was one of the latest).

McCabeRz: You make a lot of good points, and you are starting to see the point of what Ive written. Just because you are incredibly strong does not mean everything works out. Now, we WILL see Shirou be a complete badass, especially as of this chapter, since this is where the action truly begins. There is a saying I live by and I love the concept, which I have shown in the story, and it should help explain why Shinji is doing so well, yet Shirou is faltering. See, without having to actually use his full force for anything, Shirou has no idea how to. He is learning just like anyone would, being affected by stress, lack of sleep, and several other factors.

Still... you have a point. I DID promise Shirou would be a badass, so here we go!

Also, if its not obvious (At this point Ive been asked questions which have obvious answers so many times I find its safer to assume), I will not be showing what happened between the end of the last chapter and the start of this one. You are left to assume, or figure out on your own. I will not hold your hand in figuring this out. It will be revealed in time, so either figure it out yourself or be patient, just like all secrets in this story.

Strength through Strife

* * *

"Why did you resort to this?"

Shinji turned towards Sakura, who was still too weak to move from her position on the bed. "He caused all of this, he needs to die. That is the only way I can fix all this."

"There has to be another way!"

"There are dozens of ways, sure. But I chose this one, and what kind of man would I be if I backed out now? Its not a matter of pride, this is for your good too, you know."

Whatever Sakura was about to say was interrupted by the bounded fields alerting him to four intruders. "It appears your friends have arrived, as well as an unexpected guest. No doubt Kotomine coming to watch this play out, the sick fuck." Shinji sneered at the thought of the man. Sure, it was easy to like the guy in person, but his very nature was twisted against Kotomine's, though he felt more pity than disgust for the priest. Being a slave to his sadism like that...

Shinji was actually an incredible judge of character, not that one would think he was. It was why he had originally been friends with Shirou, who was an easy doormat, whose sole purpose was to help others. It also helped with his various attempts at being a playboy, though they worked only half the time. Some girls liked certain types of guys, and were willing to overlook certain things. Shinji understood something most people forgot. Men and women may be different genders, but in general all people are different, so any attempt to generalize a gender would be foolish. Treating them as individuals yielded better responses.

In any case, he now had to deal with an angry group consisting of a Magus, King Arthur, and Shirou Emiya. He was unsure which one would be the hardest to deal with. He wanted Rin alive, and Saber would be of great help later. Shirou may be the hardest though. True as it was that keeping a dangerous opponent captured but alive was difficult, Shirou was his worry. It was not something so simple as his strength or skill, it was something far more dangerous. For all his random acts of heroism, when Shirou sat down and planned something, it just worked. He was unsure if this was because of Shirou's father or not, but it was certainly his most dangerous aspect.

Shinji was not a genius. He knew this, and accepted it. He had no problems admitting it anymore. Shirou, however, was something different. His usual work was only borderline genius (not that many people understood how low the border of genius truly was), but when he was under pressure, he could do things Shinji could never dream of. It was a sad truth, that Shirou worked better under pressure. It was all about motivation though, which was exactly how Shinji got this far. He could not afford to fail because of his one time friend. No, it was too dangerous to deal with Shirou as if he was a normal person, the best bet would be to do the very last thing he expected.

Shirou was not like his father. He could not kill his heart, Shinji was sure. He had heard tales of Kiritsugu once Zouken learned he was raising a child, mostly to make sure Shinji did not do something stupid to piss Kiritsugu off. If even Zouken was afraid, Shinji did not want to think on what Kiritsugu was capable of.

He paused. Shirou had morals, did he not? He was always going on about saving people, so... yes. That would stall him long enough for Shinji's plan to work.

* * *

The starting plan had been simple. Attack from all cardinal directions, one person per direction. Shirou was dubious about Rin going on her own, but he was sure she could fight now. That heart of hers made her temporarily equal to a weaker servant, which would permit her to easily destroy most of Shinji's golems, ignoring any special ones he had made. Rider was still weak from the last fight, given Shirou's recovery was more important than refilling her own reserves. He was far more integral to the plan than she was, and even she had agreed with it. Arturia was not tired in the least, given the absurdity of Rin's reserves. Shirou was fully recovered, rest, and ready to rip Shinji's head clean off.

The plan was crazy, and they all knew it. Shirou in particular was against it, having only revealed his idea because of desperation. Still, there was no fixing it now, it was their only clear choice. Rin, Saber, and Rider were prepared for the outcome, they all agreed to it. They were all rather... voluntarily in their choice, as well. Shirou knew why, but it went against his nature. Still, in some cases nature was the wrong choice. He understood this. He simply did not like it.

Rin knew better than anyone just how stubborn Shirou could be, she was glad the four of them had convinced him, though. The alternative was... unpleasant. She was not losing her sister. She refused to. That was why she was being even more stubborn than Shirou.

The Einzbern castle was surrounded by forest, thick with trees and wildlife. In all honesty, she would have loved to live in there. If the mood were less tense, she may have taken a moment to enjoy the view. The castle was large though, with many entrances. Shirou, being Shirou, took the obvious route of the front entrance. She was sure he had an ulterior motive for barging in the front, but she suspected it was simply because it would draw attention to him, and directly away from her, as she was heading in the from the opposite side.

It was actually a pretty good plan, given what they knew of the castle. Rin's area was filled with long hallways, which meant there would be little room for any enemy to dodge her spells. Rider's area was filled with columns and open areas with pillars, perfect for her hit and run style. Saber's entrance was pretty simple, but the important part was that it had no support structures in it, so she could use Excalibur without worry. Shirou, by going in the front entrance, was doing what he did best, directing the fight.

Shirou had planned down to the last aspect, which was his usual method for dealing with any large scale criminals. Infiltration was something Shirou was actually very skilled at, but he preferred to direct the entire action down to his own ideas. Simply put, he could change the way something happened by being there. Shirou was terrifying to fight against, Rin realized. It was one thing to fight an insanely overpowered swordsman magus, but it was another thing entirely to fight someone who could influence your decisions without you noticing. She was half sure Shirou did not even notice that he did it.

Strategy aside, her path was mostly clear, some various golems here and there, but nothing that required any more than a simple Gandr to deal with. She had to wonder whether it was Shirou's plan, or Shinji's. After all, it was likely he wanted her alive, with all his former lust for her. She wanted to vomit when thinking about that.

She was about halfway to her intended area when she saw... something. She was unsure what it was aside from a very special flesh golem. Bones sticking out everywhere upon the outside of the limbs, without a head, and moving in such a strange way she could not describe it. It was inhuman in every possible way, but she knew it would be stronger than the others. Regardless, she needed through.

She shot a Gandr at the creature, only for it to flip unnaturally out of the way, clinging to the walls as if it were that sticky. It showed its sheer speed when it tumbled towards her in what could have passed for a cartwheel. She narrowly dodged a few basic attacks of the flipping creature, her heart already reinforced. She had little trouble keeping up, but the damn thing moved in ways it just shouldn't. Its joints seemed to bend any way they wanted, ignoring the usual pattern for elbows to NOT bend backwards. It made fighting the damn thing difficult, as each move created another potential attack.

Still, she was confident. She had the upper hand in sheer statistics, did she not? If she could get far enough away, she could use a spell and destroy the thing, but it moved too fast for her to turn around to run back, and running backwards was asking for the creature to catch her off footing, so she was stuck in a physical fight.

She struck forward, only to pull back as the creature placed one of the absurdly sharp bones in the way. She cursed, feeling like she was fighting a gust of wind for all the good she was doing.

Suddenly her opponent jumped forward, spinning like a maniac in the air in what was probably an attempt to shred her to death, causing her to block, only to tumble backwards with scratches on her arms. Apparently Shinji had high expectations of her, or actually wanted her dead.

"How does it feel to fight like this, Rin?" Shinji's voice called out, seemingly from the ceiling. She knew better than to look up. "See, I already know Shirou's strategy. Simplistic but it would have worked, were my bounded fields not so precise as to show me who is coming in where."

She narrowly dodged another lung by the creature, backhanding it into the wall, finally. She was mildly surprised about landing a hit, but realization dawned on her face.

"Obviously I would give the most durable enemy to either Shirou or Saber. That would stall them long enough, no doubt. As for Rider, simple fodder would do. You, though, I intend to capture, so I needed something designed for that, no?" The creature stood up, its body shivering as the damage seemingly repaired itself the same way a water balloon would reform back into its original shape. "Naturally, the thought occurred to me to use the strongest against you, but then why expend the effort? I can give each golem a specific function. You've no doubt noticed the lack of death in this creature. It will not falter, nor will it fail so long as I live. Like all my golems, if you kill me, it will cease function, but good luck getting past Berserker. This creature regenerates simply because the damage you do does not exist. It has no organs, nothing but muscle. That is how it bends the way it does, all those sharp bones on the outside. If it had bones, that hit may have destroyed it, but muscle? Hahaha! What can you hope to do against something like that? You dont have a blade to penetrate it with, after all. Shirou could easily do it, but you? Hah!"

Rin grit her teeth, before deciding Shinji was right. Her way would not work. She needed to think like Shirou for a moment. She paused, the creature seemingly halted by Shinji speaking. The bones on the outside of the limbs, they were obviously for something more than attack and defense, but what? She frowned in thought, until she realized something. The defense was all about making sure that if she DID connect a hit, she would get damaged as well, though there was no poison on the bones. Shinji mentioned penetrating the thing too... Yes, that would work.

The creature finally seemed to move once Shinji stopped speaking. Perhaps moving it required his focus? Doubtful given how many he had. The thing launched forward again, intending to impale her on the bones of its arm. She stepped aside, letting the creature move to go just between her and the wall. Instantly, her arm was reinforced, giving her more strength than she ever had, as the combined heart reinforcement and general reinforcement combined. Simply put, she had the same insane strength as Shirou now, temporary as it was. She shot forward, punching the being right in the middle, her arm shooting right through it, hitting the wall. The being stopped moving, but Rin screamed. The walls had been reinforced, and her arm was not quite durable enough, resulting in a cleanly broken arm. Healing it would be easy, though, once the job was done. Avalon was awesome like that.

She moved to pull her arm out of the creature, only to drag the creature along, intensifying the pain, before the creature moved. The movement was different than before, however. Before, the creature acted as an insane animal, moving in unpredictable ways. Now, it moved as a liquid, trying to cover her entire body with itself, as if it were a meatsuit.

"Did you honestly think so low of me as to give away the answer? Honestly, Rin, for all your talk of being a genius, you are so easy to manipulate. Now I have all the pieces I need to get started. With you and Sakura both, I expect Shirou to be quite direct in what he wants now."

Struggle as she might, Rin could not break free from the strange creature Shinji controlled. True, he could have done much worse since the meatsuit over her controlled practically all her movements, but something seemed to hold him back. He was so focused on Shirou he did not notice the horrible things he could have done to her... she hoped. She could only hope, really, as the meatsuit walked her towards wherever Shinji was. The pain from the broken arm also prevented her from using any spells at the moment.

As she was walked forward, she spoke to herself, so low not even Shinji could hear it with his bounded fields which seemed to give him some sort of limited omniscience. "All according to plan." All the while, she wore a grim, resigned smile.

* * *

Arturia was not in any sort of danger, plowing through the various golems Shinji had created to guard the area. Hearing confirmation of the plan in her head, she frowned. It was risky, but it was necessary. So far, they had very few methods of dealing with Shinji, as there was no guarantee he was even inside the castle itself. Still, it was their best bet. They had to save Sakura!

Her sword cleaved each golem in two with practical ease, as these were barely human level golems. She could take an army of them alone, as a human, without faltering. As a servant... well, Excalibur was glistening with... blood? She was unsure if it counted as blood given it seemed to be more prana than blood. The fact that Shinji had created so many of these creatures was insane. Then again whatever he had done apparently gave him more circuits, not just more prana. Monstrous as he was in terms of reserves, she had little doubt he was less skilled than most of what the group believed. She had been in war. People manipulated each other, and misinformation was often just as useful as actual fighting power. Shinji was skilled at certain things, but so far everything she had seen had required less skill than Rin's Gandr. Not that she really understood magecraft all too well, as Merlin was a strange man who seemingly did not care about what should be possible. Shinji had a lot of prana, but how could he possibly get skilled like this? From what she had gleamed from previous conversations with her master and her friends, Shinji had only started researching a few years ago. To her, the obvious answer was that Shinji's research only regarded certain things, ignoring the basic concepts of magecraft entirely.

Saber was a warrior before she was a king, and she had learned from it. Projecting a completely solid defense by dodging was a fine idea. However, it meant you had little experience with blocking or taking hits. Every solid defense had a weakness, the same with offense. The only absolutes were rather easy to avoid, and Shinji's golems were an example of his dodging. She merely needed to find him so she could test his blocking.

Shirou's plan was brilliant, if dangerous. The obvious facts pointed everything towards it, though there were some moves in his plan that seemed unnecessary, she saw why he chose them. She also saw why he hated the plan, but she was someone who would not mind risking herself. Risking Rin, however... Well, it was somewhat stupid for Shinji to attempt to kidnap Rin while Saber still lived, but it was likely he had Berserker ready to deal with her in an instant if she appeared. She could certainly hold her own against the monster, but so close to her master... well, Shirou's plan was risky in all sorts of ways, but his reasoning was sound. It was horrifying, what Shirou had explained to them, but they understood, and Rin even backed him up with a small bit of research. As Second Owner, Rin had several former visitors who happened to be magi, and through those she had connections to some information. Nothing big enough to find out what Shinji's magic was, but enough to link together a few facts, which still horrified even Shirou.

Yes, this was a twisted game, and there could be only one death today. After all, Berserker did not count. Putting down a rabid beast was not a death, it was a mercy. She had information in her head of Hercules, and to see that legendary hero turned into a slave... it was not right. Regardless of Shinji's motivations, his psychological issues, and his crazy grandfather, she loathed him for that. To turn a symbol of humanity into a slave was barbaric in so many ways. Perhaps her anger should be turned to the now deceased Illya, but she could not hate the little girl. Not after what she had seen of her family...

Ignoring that, she carved her path through the hordes of fodder. She was not capable of unleashing Excalibur as recklessly as she could have in life, so she was forced to deal with them one-by-one. Although even that was rather quick, given her physical might. Killing these things was less tiring than one might expect, especially given Rin's new reserves were fueling her. What Shinji did not realize was that Rin was no doubt the worst person for him to capture, and not because of the command seals. No doubt he had taken precautions against those, but she was now out of combat, and still fueling her. Shinji probably new that, but he did not fully understand why Saber was dangerous. Saber, unlike the rest of the heroes of the war, save Lancer, had actually experienced war. Hercules mostly fought monsters, Medusa did relatively little fighting, Gilgamesh had always been more a king than a fighter, and Caster and assassin were unknowns. War was so different from single combat it could not be described. More than that, Saber was a war king. She did not sit back in a hut constantly going over plans, true, but she was no amateur tactician. She won for far more than her battle prowess.

In reality, her job was simple, and Shinji had to allow it, even if he knew of her plan. It was rather simple, really. Out of all of them, she had the best chance for this. Berserker was her intended opponent. Simply put, she was the only one who could stall him long enough for the plan to work. Medusa was mostly meant to distract and take out fodder, while Rin was a trap. Shirou was obviously going to participate as an active opponent for Shinji, but there was a simple problem. Shirou was by all accounts, beyond human. He could have fought her off if he truly tried. His strength and magecraft created the perfect enemy to any swordsman, along with his crazy sword style. He was fast, strong, durable, and could fight for hours before feeling it, so long as his circuits did not overdo it. There was only one problem with him.

He was still human.

Avalon and durability aside, one hit from Berserker would be enough to kill him. Even with Avalon, he could probably only fully heal from 'death' once or twice, given his reserves. Considering Avalon had been created for Arturia, who had a magic core rather than circuits, it was quite impressive, and spoke of a very close relation with the sheathe. However, that would not be enough against Berserker. Even if it were, Arturia had no long range capabilities that were safe to use, unlike Shirou.

Medusa was too physically weak to deal with him as well, and Rin was even weaker than her. Simply put, Saber was the best bet, and to enhance their chances, Saber had requested Avalon from Shirou, who gladly gave the sheathe back once he understood how to do so. Even with her instruction, it took a bit, given Shirou's lack of skill with any form of magecraft that did not involve projecting his mentality into the world.

On the other hand, Shinji knew this. He knew that Saber was the physically strongest of the group, and she could cleave through the entire castle if she wanted. The best solution was to deal with her by placing the unstoppable Berserker in her way. Not a big or complicated strategy, but the only real option available. Shirou knew it, as did she.

Apparently, Shinji did too, as Berserker was standing directly in her way, just around a corner. She barely turned down the corner when the beast was already on her, flinging its axe/sword down to smash her. Excalibur intervened, smacking the weapon aside, before rising up to strike Berserker in the chin. Though it did no damage, it did manage to push him back slightly.

She grinned slightly, getting a few ideas. After all, she only needed to stall him, just as he did with her. For whatever reason, Berserker seemed different, less violent, projecting much less killing intent. Maybe Shirou's theory was not so far off after all.

* * *

Shinji cackled as he viewed the fight between Saber and Berserker. He knew what they wanted, after all they had attacked so openly... It mattered little. His true goal by placing Berserker in Saber's path was to avoid Saber teleporting. Teleporting disrupted a servant's concentration, and doing so would leave Saber open for Berserker to kill. More than that, if Saber left, Berserker was free to rampage on Shirou and Rider. Saber and Shirou may understand strategies and tactics, but Shinji understood manipulation. Simply put, so long as Rin realized what was going on, which was one of the reasons he had captured her, he was free of Saber's interference. So long as Rin cooperated, Saber could live, provided she did not become too much trouble. He was on a time limit, after all. Rituals had times when they were most effective, and this one in particular required Rin and Sakura for him to realize his dream.

Yes, he was risking his life, but it would be worth it for a chance to kill the bastard...

"Keep quiet, hold still, and attempt to summon your servant and both Sakura and yourself shall perish." Shinji spoke neutrally to Rin, who was still covered with the meatsuit. She sneered at him, but nodded, not bothering to attempt to move. Perhaps even his expectations of Rin were wrong. Perhaps she WAS cowardly, or simply too caring of her former sister to risk anything. It would make sense. She always struck him as an overly emotional girl... Hah! How the school would react to learning of her true nature. Then again, it may just happen sooner than expected, given the reaction to his attack on that town... He grinned. He could care less what happened to magi around the world because of him. He did not care that magecraft may become infinitely weaker. He only wanted to kill a single being. Why bother with the future past that? He doubted he would have one, at this rate...

He idly wondered if Shirou would falter at his little room, given his intentions. Kotomine had helped him with it, and Shinji knew better than to ask how he attained the required objects.

* * *

Medusa was only moderately familiar with the castle grounds, having used the roof more than anything to enter and leave with her former master. Shinji was many things, but she found him to be a very strange individual. He had never shown a truly evil side to him, just twisted. Shirou was much the same, in the opposite way. Whereas Shinji wanted to kill a man, Shirou wanted to save all people. He even wanted to save the servants, if what Saber suggested was right. The boy was a strange one, but Shinji was also strange. In reality, she would have preferred Shirou as a master from the beginning, if only because he was easier to predict. Shinji seemed to be chaotic, however. Even before, when he could have just placed a bomb in the school to kill Shirou, he refrained. He was acting out now because of something, but Medusa was unsure of what.

Her path was not clear, nor was it overfilled with golems. Shinji knew she could not survive against Berserker, and could not truly kill him more than once, which would be pointless. He also knew she would carve through his common golems with ease. The obvious solution was to send a specialized golem to kill her. Medusa hated putting her faith in someone else, but it seemed she would have to, for the safety of her true master.

Shirou was inexperienced, skillful and strong as he was. Truth be told, experience mattered little in this. Most people assumed experience was the way to victory but the cold hard truth was that some people were born with more skill than others could attain through experience. People loved to imagine everyone was equal, but she knew better. Shirou would no doubt bring hope wherever he went, but just as much fear was sure to follow. It was the path of any hero, and several monsters. She knew this, and she had a feeling Shirou was not ignorant of the fact.

Regardless, Shinji was just as inexperienced as Shirou, though far, far less skilled. What he did have was an underhanded style that allowed him to use manipulation without fear of guilt or remorse. Shinji was closer to a monster than Shirou, but Shirou was further from a hero than Shinji. Quite a quandary...

Still, her goal was clear. Shinji was causing pain to her master, and so she would respond. A part of her felt pity for Shinji, but she ignored it. She knew more than she could say, but she would not falter in her personal goal, even if it conflicted with Shirou's. She would save her true master.

* * *

Shirou frowned. He had met no resistance, coming in the front, nor any sort of challenge. He simply walked along, gauging the area for traps. This was... not expected. He had expected some specialized Golem to take him out, or fodder to distract him, not an empty path to the center of the castle. If what she had told him was true, Shirou had little to worry about in regards to Rin, but still... He was paranoid. Rin, Sakura... he loved them both. He could not lose them. He understood that, and he was halfsure they did as well. Well, then again Rin was stubborn and in denial, while Sakura was still in that under-confident mindset. It was likely neither had accepted it yet, regardless of whether or not they reciprocated the emotions. He knew most would sneer at the idea of multi-person relationships, but all three of them were broken, and together... they were whole.

Still, he had his own goal here, now that he understood what Shinji truly wanted. It was not so hard to figure out, once he realized what the Matou family magic was. Well, once Rin found out and explained it. It was disgusting, but it explained everything. Shinji may be able to manipulate people, but no one could see through them like Shirou could. Idly, Shirou found himself wishing that Shinji had taken the high road towards his goal, amusing as that thought may be.

Soon, Shirou found himself at a doorway, with the most obvious bounded field he had ever seen inside it, covering the room itself. Still, it was the only way forward, and cutting down bounded fields was one thing he could do. So, with minimal hesitance, Shirou stepped inside. As expected, the bounded field was meant to trap him inside, though what he saw was... disturbing. Not in the usual sense of the word, where one is disturbed by violence or death, but in a way that caused Shirou to pause in rumination.

All around the room were prisoners, all wandering around aimlessly, as if hypnotized. There was nothing special about the room otherwise, just a bunch of prisoners running around, without any intention. They were slaves to another's will, obviously, but Shinji had displayed no skill with hypnotizing...

"You walked right into it too! I did not expect this!" Shinji's voice came over what was probably a loud speaker, or some spell. "The bounded field I set up is very special. Each and every one of these prisoners is connected to it." Realization dawned for Shirou, his eyes widening. "Yes! Until each of them die, the bounded field will not fall, not even with your skill, as it regenerates thanks to the binding process. So, Hero, do you have what it takes to save Sakura? To kill all these men and women? A childish fantasy to be a hero, always helping everyone who asks... you dont have it in you to kill, do you? All this was made for you! I know your weaknesses Shirou, and I have your loves as hostages. So come, play the role of the hero and make your choice. Two lives for dozens. Or are you selfish enough to desire Sakura and Rin above your dream of saving all life? Kill, or kill. It is your choice, hero."

The taunting words caused Shirou to pause, his hair over his eyes, hiding most of his face. "Shinji..." He began to laugh. "You idiot." The laughter was not his normal laughter, but a cold one, with deep emotion laced into it, an emotion Shinji could not place.

"Oh, to make it more interesting, I shall release them from my control as well." Shinji laughed again, the prisoners reeling from shock, confused, hungry, and anxious.

"Born by fire." Shirou spoke, slowly, to Shinji. "Made of blades. Physically stronger than some servants. A love of archery and fighting. A dream to be a hero. An assassin for a father. Shinji, did you not realize? I may hate it, but the simple truth is..."

With not even a moment of hesitation, Shirou sliced the nearest prisoner in half, blood and organs spilling onto the ground. His eyes gleamed silver in the dull light of the room, like two moons overtaking two suns. "I was born to kill."

* * *

Okay, and thats a wrap. More because it took me two days to write this and Im getting increasingly delirious. Ive not updated in a while, and Im seeing a bunch of bullshit I wrote before this chapter that no one mentioned, but shit, I dont expect people to understand strategy. Its not exactly the most common piece of knowledge. Good on you if you do know, though. I admire those who learn because they WANT to.

A big thing with this entire chapter is being hidden right before your eyes, just as most chapters before this, so dont worry, you are indeed missing a big detail. Quite a few by now, really. There is a HUGE reason I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter that I would not say what happened between last chapter and this chapter.

Also, I would have kept going with the chapter but that "I was born to kill" line was the perfect ending.

In all seriousness, Shirou was definitely born to kill. Especially this version, I mean look at his past! He was completely reforged by the fire, dreamed of being like his father, who was a magical assassin, had a fascination with blades and archery, and fighting in general. The guy doesnt even have what you could call 'morals'. I mean, he has the literal definition of morals, but not what most people think morals are. Or maybe the other way around, Im too lazy to look up the real definition. Point is, the guy was not joking with that 'born to kill' line.

See ya next time, The Mad Mystic signing off.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Been... quite a while. Sorry bout that. I got a paper cut and had to let it heal.

* * *

Blood.

There was always blood, no matter how he chose to do it.

Maybe it was a fact of life? Or rather, a fact of death? Perhaps, in his mighty strength, there was a lack of something more humane, something crucial to the human being.

Always violence, always pain, no matter how good his intentions. He knew this. The others did not. No, he kept it from them. Swords were not made to spare lives, after all. But his pain... he would let it be his alone.

Was it wrong then? To weigh two lives against so many more? Did he even care? A small part of him, forged long after the fires had faded, thanks to his father, reminded him of a promise so long ago, a reminder that perhaps, even a hero could be selfish once in a while. A much larger part of him twisted in agony, his actions reflecting the opposite of what his soul screamed at him to do. A hero saved lives, didnt they? Was it perhaps his numbness to the situation which let him continue, regardless of the agony he felt internally? Yes, that seemed right. Nothing felt solid now, only his physical movements felt real, not his actions, nor their consequences...

It was a cold, efficient method of dealing with vast numbers. There was no fighting, only slaughter. His boast had certainly thrown Shinji off, if the silence were anything to go by. A true boast, but not one he had ever hoped to prove correct. It seemed this war brought nothing but pain. He had not been really taking it seriously until now, when he came face to face with his own internal conflict. Sure, he had fought against the servants, and he had not really held back in physicality, but... mentally, part of him always kept from using the more efficient, if brutal, methods. True, each attack against Berserker had been deliberate and planned, even brutal, but he could have dealt with him so much better. So what was holding him back?

Did his belief make him weak? No, that wasnt it. Insecurities? No, he was essentially steel when it came to who he was and what he wanted to do. If it was not any of those... was it perhaps his indecision? The conflict within his soul, between the conflicting desires to be selfish, and to be a hero?

"To be a hero... is not a fate I wish upon anyone"

He recalled his father's quote about his past, about how he had slaughtered hundreds for the sake of millions, and he had to wonder... would it be so bad to be selfish? Just for them? Just for the only two real friends he had? A hero... he remembered all the villains and heroes, and the psychology behind each one. A hero was never alone, for if they stayed alone, they strayed from their path and slowly became a villain, their beliefs so embedded in their souls that they simply lost themselves to it. Hitler had considered himself a hero, hadnt he? In a situation where it was to be selfish, or to potentially fall to some twisted form of himself...

Archer. That was why. He saw Archer when he thought of that possible future, that twisted apocalypse, all brought about by his own hand. Had Archer truly done this? It did not matter. Perhaps Archer was from a brighter future. It mattered little. He saw a few memories of Archer, and they were enough. That monster had started that path for the same reason as Shirou. Memories had been slowly trickling in ever since their first clash. Not as strongly, but enough to let Shirou know what kind of monster Archer was.

What if that heroic path led to the same fate as Archer? Would he be able to do that? To kill all those innocents, simply because Alaya demanded it? More than that, could he weigh the lives of all those people against the lives of these prisoners?

His mind spun, grasping at every neuron to find his answer, but the moment he saw a memory of Sakura and Rin sitting with him, the decision was made.

Yes, he could.

* * *

"So you really think your plan will work?" Rin spat at Shinji, though only in the verbal manner.

"Given what I know, and what you do not... I fully expect everything will go according to plan. See, you only know the surface of this farce. Your arrogance knows no bounds, Tohsaka." Shinji smirked, amused at the rage Rin displayed against him and what she knew of his plan.

"Arrogance? You challenge the strongest mage in the city, and the only human I know of that can match servants, as well as two actual servants by kidnapping one of the few people with connections to all of them, and you call me arrogant? You idiot! You are going to die here, you know that? When all is said and done, even if you kill myself and Sakura, you will be the one lying dead in the dirt, with only yourself and your ambitions to blame!" Rin shouted, her visage twisting into an unfathomable rage. If she were not bound by the strange golem she had fought, she would have ripped his throat out, for Sakura as well as Shirou.

Shinji chuckled lightly, turning back to the screen displaying the young Emiya's brutality. "Is that what you think? Well, let me tell you the grand secret that should make you see what I truly intend to happen." Shinji opened his shirt, allowing Rin to see the mutated flesh that used to be his chest. The entire structure was constantly shifting, with some sort of serpent-like creature, no doubt Crest Worms, writhing underneath it. "Did you know that the secret behind the Crest Worms, behind the entire Matou family magecraft, is soul binding? To bind our souls into another object. Grandfather used worms. I used his worms and became strong through the sacrifice of others, but I am not bound to them, so I am able to bind my soul to something different." He had to laugh outright at Rin's horrified face. She was beginning to piece things together. "Yes, exactly! How torn up will Shirou be, to cause your death? Sakura's? Or perhaps both? Ha!" Shinji's face morphed almost instantly into a very focused expression, completely void of emotion, yet eyes filled with determination. "I could even make Shirou take his own life, you know. Its not hard to imagine, is it? I went to school with him, I could easily collect a few blood samples, and I am quite sure you know what I can do with blood."

Shinji grinned maniacally, turning to face Rin once more. "Make no mistake. I fully intend to die today, but I shall not die alone. I will take that bastard with me."

Rin had never felt such heart gripping terror, save for when her parents died. She knew quite well what a mage could do with blood, particularly if any of what Shinji said is true. His plan made sense now. He wanted Shirou dead, but not easily. He had kidnapped Sakura, as well as Rin, to let Shirou follow him. The room trap that Shirou was in, it was to build up a blinding rage, to make him choose unwisely and take his rage out by killing Shinji. Shirou had killed before, it was no secret, but this... Shirou would murder Shinji for this, for everything. And that was exactly what Shinji wanted. It made sense. Taking that much prana into the body artificially would no doubt damage the body beyond repair, shortening Shinji's lifespan to mere months, maybe a year if he was lucky. There was only one question that really remained, in her mind.

Why Shirou?

* * *

Saber had long abandoned using Excalibur to kill Berserker, realizing it was pointless to use the weapon, and that it weighed her down somewhat. She was far more used to a sword, but she could certainly hold her own in hand to hand, and while Berserker had died from hand to hand before, she knew, as any fighter did, there were many ways to kill a man with your bare hands. Her strength was certainly high enough to bypass his ridiculous immunity to damage, but her skill was not at the level required to be able to keep up with this level of fighting for too long. Berserker had an almost limitless supply of Mana at his disposal, but Saber's supply was no joke, Rin being alive and well, if a bit physically exhausted. That heart-trick she used did not take much Prana so much as it took physical stamina. Should she start using it more frequently, she would likely have to consume vast amounts of food to compensate for the burned calories.

Still, that was of little consequence. So long as she could grab Berserker, she could kill him before he could swing the massive excuse for a sword anywhere near her. In a way, this type of fighting favored her, since she was smaller and could attack far closer than Berserker could. However, it would be over for whoever was grabbed first, and she knew it. Berserker was not coherent, but he did not seem foolish in his attacks either. He was far more skilled than a Berserker had any right to be. He only wielded the axe-sword with one hand, so he could still use that other hand to fight her off. He was stronger and more durable than her, but she was certainly smarter and, while not exactly faster, much more mobile. Though his dexterity was ridiculous, Berserker was still a Berserker, and that gave her the advantage in ranges of movement.

Berserker had not paused in his assault, swinging his absurd axe rapidly, hoping to crush Saber beneath its weight. It was not working well, more due to her casual use of Prana Burst as a speed enhancement than anything.

Undamaged as she was, all things considered, she was not too keen on letting this fight last any longer. According to what she knew, Shirou had killed it four times, and herself twice now, once during this fight with Excalibur stabbing him in the heart. That was six lives down, right? It was possible he had less, if he had fought another servant, but it was not worth speculating in the middle of a fight.

It happened rather quickly, the terrible shift of the battle. She had been holding her own for quite some time now, but it had to end. A single misstep. That was all it took, too. She simply did not move backwards fast enough, too slowly to dodge completely, but enough to make it not instantly fatal. It wasnt even truly fatal, given the nature of Servants. It would be healed by Avalon, given just a scant few seconds, but that was far more than Berserker needed.

It was, however, enough to shift the battle even more heavily into Berserker's favor.

With a suppressed scream of pain, Saber almost fell, stumbling backwards, knowing her fate. It always came down to fate, didnt it? It was her fate to suffer, after all.

Berserker launched forward with his usual incredible speed, swinging his blade down towards Saber, who could not dodge in time. Were she anyone else, she would have closed her eyes in acceptance, but she was the King of Knights! She would not go into the night with a whimper, but a ferocious roar! Her will hardened into a fine resolve, before she launched forward, using Prana Burst one last time. If she were going to die, she would at least take one more life from this beast!

Her fist, enhanced by the focused Prana Burst on her elbow, thrust forward with more force than any blow she had delivered so far, going straight through his skin, into his organs. Yes... Berserker would die at least once more. Her arm curved upward, finding his heart. She could barely move her hand, from the damage sustained by using a focused Prana burst to enhance the attack, though Avalon had already fixed her damage to her torso and chest, though sadly not her clothing or armor. She felt Avalon work just enough for her to be able to flex her hand at full strength once more, and crushed the heart in her hands. Still, she felt Berserker's massive frame shift, no doubt ready to crush her with his strength.

She felt like she had waited for a century, but it was only a single second before she looked upward, only to receive the most pleasant shock this battle had so far.

Rider had appeared, just in the nick of time. Her chains wrapped around Berserker's arms, only the surprise of the sudden restraints keeping him from completely ignoring them to kill Saber once and for all. "Finish him!" She shouted, her voice strained from the effort it was taking to hold Berserker in place, even for this short a time. She even had to use her Monstrous Strength...

Saber needed no further instruction, her hand reaching further into Berserker, finding his spine, then his lungs, then his neck, twisting each one into an incomparable mess of gore, though none of it visible due to the nature of her attacks. Her arm was deep into his body, having destroyed three vital points. Given Shirou had killed him four times, and she had killed him once with the Excaliblast, and once with the sword itself, then his heart, then spine, then lungs, then neck... He had a maximum of two lives left, and there were two servants ready to take those lives away. She only hoped Medusa had some way of finishing the job.

She felt the chains give, rather than see them, and jumped away as fast as she could. Berserker did not react slow, however, and rushed forward with his fist, which had escaped the chains first, punching her full force, easily snapping several of her bones and causing untold damage to her body. However, as she was flying away from Berserker, Avalon healed everything far before Berserker had a chance to attack again.

That did not lessen the pain however, as it seemed this fight was a testament to her will to endure any pains to win. Two Immortal legends, facing off. True, she was at a disadvantage a few moments ago, but with Rider here as backup, it seemed things were turning in her favor. Still, unless Rider had some way of killing Berserker twice more, the fight was just going to be another stalling match, rather than a deathmatch. She wasnt quite sure how to feel about that.

* * *

A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I wanted to update and I dont want to get to the end of this quite yet, because there are two major secrets I want to reveal in the next chapter, which should be sooner than this chapter was. Those two major secrets are the FULL plan that Shinji developed, and what happened the night previous to this one. I will say this once more. Each time I write, I use limited perspectives so they make very unreliable Narrators. That means no character is completely aware of everything going on. Shinji's plan is not quite what Rin thinks, nor is it what Shinji implied. Well, it is, but implications have a problem of being misinterpreted. The Saber-killing-Berserker was a bit bullshit, I wont lie, but I feel it could be done. Berserker has not been killed that way before, and with Prana Burst, I think Saber would be able to do it, albeit with considerable damage to her own body. Which... is what happened. I used the first part of the chapter to show the inner turmoil Shirou is going through, rather than him slaughtering a bunch of helpless prisoners, which I think was a good decision. Hopefully some of you understand why Shirou is showing no hesitation, but if not... Kiritsugu. That should explain everything. If not, oh well.


	13. Cancellation

So I am canceling this story. For... a lot of reasons.

For starters, it deviated a hell of a lot from what I originally intended, mostly due to my interest in the grail war rather than the adventures I meant to have the core group, Saber, Sakura, Rin, and Shirou, go on after, all the way up to the rebirth of the Age of the Gods, and the birth of the Age of Humanity, which would have involved the Types, Dead Apostle Ancestors, Gods, and maybe even Gaia and Alaya. Now while I wanted to do all that, the first step was the hardest, actually. The Grail War. I wanted to make it interesting and a big part of the story, but still the start, not the main climax. It built up more and more in my attempts to make it different from the basic and ordinary, which was not a problem itself, the problem came that I lost track of things and forgot what I wrote.

For example, a big thing I wanted to foreshadow was that Shirou was not the only person getting to this ridiculous level, just the first. This was going to be a minor note at first, something on the news about an odd amount of people being... insanely strong, fast, or durable, and how humans seemed to have suddenly evolved over a generation. It was meant to be described in a news article that I MEANT to have run early on, right before the Grail war. It would then continue with a future character, probably Ayako, or someone else that would not be too involved later, displaying just a bit of those abilities. Not to the same extreme as Shirou, but to a level beyond human, for sure.

Then we get to Shinji. I do remember writing a bit about a news article for his act of sacrificing a town to get enough mana for what he wanted, and Rider being surprisingly loyal to him, though not to any real extent beyond not outright hating him. His person to kill was obviously Zouken, because Sakura was protected by Shirou and Rin. It was meant to be pretty obvious with the real question being how, and the town sacrifice answered that. I also meant to display more between him and Illya before she died, but I was rushing for some reason. Cant really remember why...

Then Rin, and Sakura... I was terrible with Romance, and I blame a certain event for that, but even that as an excuse is not enough, it was too rushed and too forced, at least to me.

There was also my problems with switching POVs, and describing things in an understandable way. Lets not even touch Heracles' God Hand. That thing is... well, it is a bitch to deal with. Was, I suppose.

Now, this story began as a desire to see Shirou act slightly more like a superhero than a lone guy who saves people. That meant he had to get to a level capable of taking out the STRONGEST in existence. Yes, the end of the Grail War wouldve had a rest chapter, then the next chapter with the death of ORT using... Ea. Afterwards, all the Types would have awakened at once, and the entire world would relearn of magic being a thing, causing... problems. It wouldve been a few months, maybe a year or two after the Grail War, and Zelretch wouldve kicked his training of Rin into high Gear, with Sakura going a very different route because of the Grail being so connected with her, and her learning to tap into that. Naturally Shirou would have leaned, eventually, into the First Magic, which is a bit amusing, and contrived.

Point is, I had a lot planned out, and the entire Grail War got fucked up because of my... constant breaks between updating the story, among other mistakes along the way.

Now I face a choice, I can just outright cancel it, or rewrite it, possibly just using the ending of UBW as a starting point, and go from there. Would certainly make it easier, but this time I would write the entire thing before I ever post it. I went into this unprepared and uninformed, mostly gaining information on the way. If I do decide to redo this, it will take quite a bit of time, unless I drastically shorten things.

My thanks for reading to this point, and I hope you at least enjoyed some of it.


End file.
